Humans after all
by Elia41
Summary: After the battle of Anchorage, Gipsy Danger awakens in the middle of Oblivion Bay, her body now that of a human. Plagued by questions about her nature, she can only watch the war turning to the Kaijus' favor. But the girl is a warrior, even as a human. A series of encounters and her enlisting in the PPDC lead to discoveries that give humanity a new edge.
1. Awakeing to the self

**Awakening to the self**

She awoke among mountains of scrap metal. The air was howling mournfully through the carcasses, cut by the rusted edges of the metallic corpses laid here with no ceremony. Her vision was blurred. Her hearing was fuzzy. Slowly, her senses gained in acuity and se recognized the cries of seagulls. She was on her back, lying in a curved plate that used to be a chest armor. A gigantic chest armor. She rose on her feet, uneasy. It had rained, yet she wasn't wet despite being in the open. In a pond, she saw her body. Soft features adorned with bluish grey eyes, mid-back chestnut hair tied in a ponytail, a nice body covered by a black tank top with a turtle neck, blue denims and strutted black shoes, complete with black fingerless gloves … and a melon-sized rack. And as if it wasn't enough, the tank top had a cleavage window. She made a mental note to change it as soon as she found something else. Maybe a sweater. Anyway, she knew in the back of her mind she'd have trouble making men look at her eyes.

She trekked across the hills of scraps. The waves lapped softly against the metal beach, their hammering clearing her head. One by one, her memories returned. And it made the unusual panorama much more horrible to her. She was in Oblivion Bay. The carcasses were the broken remains of Jaegers slain by Kaiju while defending the world. She passed by a familiar one-eyed cockpit.

"Horizon Brave …"

A little away, a grayish hand extended to the sky. It was connected to a burst out torso that was missing a head. A 7 with several wings around could be seen.

"Lucky Seven!"

She knew the Jaeger. She had fought by its side, as well as Horizon Brave. Her breath shortened. Away again, she saw the remains of Coyote Tango's mortar canons. Edging panic now, she ran to the highest place she could find and watched, tears running on her face.

"Fallen … So many of us are gone!"

Then, a question hit her.

"How long has it been … since Anchorage?"

Her hand passed on the cleavage window. She remembered. Knifehead had bitten her arm, driven its crest into her chest, looking to extinguish her heart. He had torn her head open, taking away one of her pilots. She knew. She remembered it even more vividly that it was what triggered her awakening, her coming to consciousness.

"Raleigh … Yancy!"

Like a swimmer breaking the water's surface, Yancy's brutal death – _Murder_ – at the hands of Knifehead had raised her from the depths of a sleep-like coma to full awareness. And with it came the pain. She remembered Raleigh taking control of her right arm, the one still remaining. She remembered his pain and distress that was echoing with her own. Revenge. Kill Knifehead. Avenge Yancy. Kaiju go down. Together they had charged her plasmacaster with their rage and suffering. The blast had killed Knifehead on the spot and heavily damaged her. Then they had gone back. Returned to the shore. She remembered Raleigh's delirious yet steel-hard will forcing her to move on. She had complied even more willingly that she felt how fragile the single life in her head was. Raleigh was weak. So was she, but she was also a gigantic robot. She had used all her strength to get them to the shore where she crumbled, finally giving out. But she didn't die. It may be easy for a Kaiju to destroy a Jaeger, but killing it in the human sense of the word was harder. She remembered being carried here in Oblivion Bay, dumped among the trash without a single ceremony. Yancy was mourned, he had to. He was a Ranger. She? She was a Jaeger. She was a machine. Machines had no soul. They abandoned her here, unaware her 'soul' was still awake. She didn't remember how long she remained here in Oblivion Bay before blacking out … and awakening as a human.

Her name was Gipsy Danger. But what was she exactly? Jaeger? Or human?


	2. A new family

**A new family**

Somehow, she made it to the shore. She swam, the cold water nearly freezing her skin. It took her two hours after leaving the beach to find a road, only for the rain to start. She followed it, her head hazy, her body sorer with every step. Two vans passed her, then stopped and backtracked to her level.

"Going somewhere, miss?"

"Yeah … Somewhere."

The woman in the head van opened the door and let her in. There were two kids playing Seven Families on a table. Gipsy shivered.

"I'm tired."

Her brain was on the edge of shutting down. Her stomach was empty. Her skin was cold and her clothes were wet. Her legs were ready to give at any moment. The woman kindly took her to the largest bed and helped her undress, giving her a towel to dry and a plain white nightgown. The moment she was under the blankets, she blacked out.

When she awoke, they were in a small inland village. The sun was rising. When she had awoken as a human, it was high in the sky but the clouds had soon covered it. The old clock in the van told her it was nine. Most likely in the morning. A delicious smell reached her nose, something totally different from the stench of metal rusted by seawater or the wet scent of soil under a drizzle. It was both salty and sweet and made her stomach rumble as her mouth filled with water. Memories of Raleigh and Yancy filled her head. Humans ate and drank to restore their energy, unlike Jaegers who just had to refuel and simply didn't need rest, being inert machines. Rising from her bed, she ventured in the van, now empty of its inhabitants, and looked outside. Two families were sitting around a blue folding table, a copious breakfast made of toasts, eggs, jam, orange juice, milk and donuts being shared between them. The woman that had welcomed her earlier smiled.

"Awake at last. Would you like to join us, miss?"

Gipsy looked at her nightgown. The people at the table were all fully dressed.

"I … Sorry, not dressed like that. Give me a minute."

Her clothes were dry and clean so she quickly put them on. Then her eyes fell on her top's cleavage window.

"Say … Can I borrow a shirt or a sweater? Or something to replace _that_?"

The woman smiled fondly.

"Of course. Here."

She went to one of the drawers within the van and took both a mid-sleeved black shirt and a sweater with light and dark pink strips. Gipsy worried that her large chest would make the clothes uncomfortable. The sweater was fortunately ample enough to hide how big it was and the shirt was stretchy. A boy in his late teens groaned.

"What a waste …"

"At least I'm sure people will look at me in the eyes."

The woman chuckled.

"Well said, miss. Most men have two brain cells. One in their head and the other between their legs, if you catch my drift."

She did. Completely. Both her former pilots were men, after all. Now correctly dressed, she stepped out and sat at the woman's side. Eating was a brand new experience for her. Sure, she remembered Raleigh and Yancy eating thanks to the Drift, but there was a difference between remembering someone else's experience and actually experiencing things on her own. The toasts covered with scrambled eggs went like a charm, and a slice of bacon with it only made them go faster. Being her first time, she tasted a bit of everything before deciding toasts with whatever cover she could get and orange juice were her favorite. The violent cramps that got her after she added milk made her note to never take orange and milk in the same breakfast. Ever. It was worse than fighting a Kaiju.

"So, what's your name, miss?" The woman asked.

Gipsy was silent a moment and took the time to chew on her toast.

"I … don't remember. In fact, I'm afraid the past twenty years of my life are all blank."

Liar! She just couldn't tell she was a Jaeger turned human. She had her reasons, though. Option one: they took her for crazy and sent her to an asylum. Option two, the worst one: they gave her to mad scientists who cut her to pieces to find out how it was possible. Damn Yancy and his passion for comics! Wait a minute …

"There's one thing I remember, thought. My last name, it's Becket."

"A rather common name in the States. You really don't remember anything?"

"No. I just woke up in a graveyard and fled. What about you? Who are you?"

The woman was wearing a simple burgundy dress and her red hairs were tied into a bun.

"My name is Elizabeth Thomson, the mother of those two little dears you see. John?"

The man at her side smiled gently. He was in his late forties and was wearing simple yet elegant brown pants and a jacket.

"I am John Thomson. Pleased to meet you, miss. "

He turned to the boy and the girl. Both looked around ten. Also, the boy had his mother's red hairs while the girl's were brown. Both were wearing simple yet nice-looking clothes.

"Those are Cassidy and Elisa, our children."

The other family, the Garfield, was made of Solomon and Adelaide and their son, the fifteen-year old Bastian.

"So … what are you people exactly?" Gipsy asked.

"We belong to a group known as the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers for short. We are pacifists who value truth, respect and peace among others, so the current state of the world deeply saddens us."

Solomon looked away.

"The war between Earth and the Kaijus is a terrible thing. No matter how strong the Jaegers, every attack sees the death of hundreds of people, mainly because they were at sea and couldn't avoid the Kaiju."

"Humans die every day." Gipsy countered.

"Yes, of natural causes. Kaiju aren't natural. They hunt and kill relentlessly any human they can get their claws on. It doesn't matter if they are mountain-sized natural disasters of flesh and blood. They eat. They breathe. They are living. Any living can be killed. This is why there are Jaegers."

Gipsy looked down. Right. Jaegers were mankind's answer to the Kaijus. Killing those monsters was the reason she had been created. She, and every Jaeger that had come before. Tacit Ronin, Horizon Brave, Coyote Tango, Brawler Yukon, all of them created with the single purpose of taking Kaijus down. Fighting Kaijus was their reason to exist. But what when they were the ones getting destroyed?

"So … The Jaegers, they are just giant machines built to take down the giant monsters that want to wipe us out."

"No, they're not." Solomon answered.

"But they're just machine! Giant … cold pieces of metal in human form. They don't have a brain on their own. They just do what their pilots tell them to do. They aren't … alive. They're not like the Kaijus, right?"

John shook his head kindly.

"Many people see them that way. They are wrong. They may be machines, but they are as much heroes as the Rangers that pilot them. Without them, we are defenseless. And more people than you think believe they have a mind of their own as a result of the Drift. The Rangers spend a lot of time within them, linked together and with the Jaeger. Even if it's small, a single fragment could remain within it and, from there, grow to become a new entity. Just like a child."

"It's just a theory, right? No one yet proved it's true."

John simply smiled.

"You don't have to see to believe in something. There are things you have to believe in, and then they come true."

Elizabeth passed a hand in Gipsy's back.

"He's right, Sheila. There are things we know in our hearts that the mind doesn't always know. It's good to listen to it sometimes."

The girl weakly nodded. She never had a heart before. Then …

"Sheila?"

"You said you didn't recall your name, right? Sheila looks quite fitting on you, at least until you remember your true name."

Sheila Becket. Yep, it sounded nice. She helped pack the table and climbed in the van with the Thomsons.

"Where are you going?"

"Seattle. Due to the nature of our beliefs, we Quakers have supported many organizations seeking to make the world a better place. Amnesty International, Greenpeace, many schools and universities … Now, with the Kaijus to our doors, we offer support to Rangers and their families, as well as the countless victims of Kaiju attacks. One of our organizations, the Friends Committee for Support of Kaiju Victims, is holding a conference in Seattle. We will attend it in three days."

Gipsy/Sheila thought a moment. The Thomsons were nice people. Cassidy and Elisa offered her a game of Who's Who and she played along. They traveled for the entire day, making halts so the children could breathe and John could take a break. The Jaeger in disguise got acquainted with the Garfields and noticed Bastian was looking weirdly at her. In Willow Springs, they stopped to buy her a more complete wardrobe than the clothes she wore or Elizabeth offered her. They also gave her some money so she could fend for herself. She learned that the mother was a wandering teacher, going from town to town to home-school children. John was a doctor and the Garfields were a family of mechanists. They weren't related, though. It just happened that Solomon and his wife were heading to Seattle and taking the same road as the Thomsons.

Gipsy spent her time not playing with the children talking with Elizabeth. One of the Quakers' main values was integrity and the family was more open-minded than most people she remembered through Raleigh and Yancy. It didn't matter to them she wasn't a Quaker. She was a lost amnesiac woman. It was enough. Finally, as they left the third day, she asked them if she could join the family, at least as a surrogate member. John grinned.

"Why not? Many of us live in small communities over the world. We've been thinking about settling somewhere in the countryside. We will gladly welcome you under our roof, mobile or not."

"Thank you very much."

They reached Seattle in the evening and found an inn where other Quakers had gathered. Gipsy decided the religious group was one of the nicest she'd ever seen. The people were friendly and honest toward one another. No lie, but privacy was respected. They didn't drink alcohol but the human Jaeger didn't mind. She kept an eye on Cassidy and Elisa and was surprised when Bastian came with some snacks, his face red and his voice slightly stuttering. Elizabeth grinned.

"He looks quite smitten."

"Smitten!?" Now, it was her face that was red. "But … why would he … Oh. What did you say about men already?"

The elder woman smiled. Not pleased by her large chest, the human Jaeger was always wearing a large shirt or sweater on it, effectively hiding how big it was.

"There's more to love than simple physical attraction. You can love someone for being nice or intelligent rather than simply good-looking. I know Bastian. He wouldn't fall for you simply because you wear DD-cups."

To say Gipsy was feeling nervous was an understatement. She knew absolutely nothing about love and it included how to react or what was attractive and not. For now, she decided single was nice. The next morning, John, Elizabeth, Solomon and Adelaide went to the conference and left Cassidy and Eloise under her and Bastian's responsibility. Midday was ringing when the Kaiju alarms did the same.

* * *

><p><strong>Indeed, human Gipsy is tall and busty and she doesn't like it. Fortunately, Elizabeth is here to help. And her first days as a human bring a series of discoveries and questions that help her "grow up". Remember the dialog at the beginning. She'll refer to it rather often through the story. Also, anyone has a problem with me using Quakers?<strong>

**- Heir to the Void: meatier chapter? The next one is called "Clash in Seattle". You should guess what happens in it ... And don't worry. The fourth chapter is 5 pages long, and I feel it's just the beginning.**

**Okay, see you soon!**


	3. Clash in Seattle

**Clash in Seattle**

The news quickly spread. A Category IV Kaiju was heading toward the city. The authorities were calling everyone to hide in the anti-Kaiju shelters located underground and everyone was fleeing in panic. Gipsy felt her heart hammer in her chest. She was a human now, not a Jaeger. There was nothing she could do on her own. Fear hit her like a wave. Her eyes fell on Cassidy and Elisa, who looked equally terrified and Bastian, who looked concerned more than anything else.

"Not the shelters." He said. "The public shelters aren't sturdy enough to stop a hungry Kaiju from reaching you. They're a death trap."

"Where to, then?"

"First, we wait 'til Pa and Ma are with us. Then, we take the vans and flee."

This sounded like a valid option. Suddenly, the Kaiju emerged from the ocean and made her reconsider. The creature was a mountain of flesh in the shape of an ape. Its head looked like that of a bat but spotted a bladed, spear-like protrusion as a crest. Two blades could be found on its forearms and its back spotted the same blades but segmented, almost like a sharpened outer spine. Each paw spotted four claws that told of nameless pain for anything caught in it. No tail to be spotted, but its tongue was long, blue and apparently barbed. Gipsy turned to Bastian.

"You're sure you don't want to leave _now_?"

The conference building was unfortunately close to the shore. The Kaiju took a chunk of skyscraper and threw it on, effectively destroying the building. Bastian paled.

"Flee. Far. Fast."

They were quick to jump in the vans and step on the pedal. John had taught her to drive during the journey, saying any American worthy of its name knew to drive. Bastian had helped her and she was now deeply thankful. They reached the highway as soon as they could and sped on, focused on the road. Cassidy and Elisa were dead scared, huddled together on a bed. Bastian suddenly braked hard. A part of the road had collapsed.

"Just our luck!" The teen growled. "The hub is on the other side. Once we reach it, we'll have an easier time getting away from Seattle."

"Is there another way?"

"Yeah, but we'll have to go back in town."

Gipsy looked at the city. The Kaiju was laying destruction and waste in its path.

"What's taking them so long?" Bastian frowned. "By now, there should be at least one Jaeger deployed to stop that thing!"

'_If only you knew …_' Gipsy thought. She didn't think she could turn into a Jaeger. She had been reborn as a human. She wasn't a war machine anymore and the time spent with the Thomson had given her hope she'd never have to fight again. It had cost her too much the last time.

"There!" Bastian suddenly smiled. "It's Romeo Blue, from the Los Angeles Shatterdome!"

He wasn't alone. Chrome Brutus from Anchorage had joined the fight. Gipsy smiled.

"We're saved!"

With two Jaegers tag-teaming against it, the Kaiju didn't have a chance. It turned to the two giants and snarled. Romeo Blue instantly opened fire with the Gatlings in its chest while Chrome Brutus, a steel-colored Jaeger with massive fists and powerful servos that allowed wide movements, started pounding and hammering the monster. Cassidy and Elisa cheered. Under the two Jaegers' relentless assault, the Kaiju retreated behind a set of buildings. Chrome Brutus simply burst through, its fists colliding in a flurry of hits on the Kaiju's head. Romeo Blue chose to walk around the buildings and opened fire from the side. Blue blood was starting to flow now. Suddenly, the Kaiju did something no one expected. It flung its arm forward and tore Chrome Brutus's legs. Taken by surprise, the grey Jaeger fell against the buildings. The next second, it was under the monster's heavy weight, the claws tearing its chest as it sought its energy core. The Jaeger raised a fist but the Kaiju grabbed it in its mouth and yanked it off, the arm breaking at the elbow. Romeo Blue was running to the rescue, but the blue Jaeger was slow, terribly so. It had barely reached the Kaiju when the monster's heavy claws tore Chrome Brutus's conn-pod.

Gipsy and Bastian gasped. Once more, a Jaeger had fallen. But not everything was lost. The Kaiju turned and stood on its legs. A swing took down the fin the Jaeger had on its chest, but it also left the monster wide open to the Gatlings. The Gage twins didn't lose time. They emptied every single clip of ammo in their chest on the Kaiju's vulnerable stomach. The creature backed up a few steps before ramming in the Jaeger. Its answer was a piston-powered punch in the throat. Tracheal Break, Gipsy remembered. The Kaiju collapsed on the ground. After a few seconds, Romeo Blue turned and made a victory sign. Gipsy froze.

'_No, don't! Check! Jut because LOCCENT says it's dead doesn't mean it is. Turn back, hammer it a few times, gun it if you want! Just make sure it's dead! Last time I made this mistake, it cost me Yancy._'

She was right. As soon as its back was turned, the Kaiju rose and jumped on the Jaeger, tearing an arm in the process. Before the Gages could react, it had destroyed an arm with its blades and used its nasal crest to tear through the conn-pod, killing the twins. Gipsy and Bastian watched, frozen in horror. The two Jaegers were down, their crew dead for good. Two Jaegers against a Kaiju and the Kaiju had still won. The human Jaeger could only watch in silent horror, the events replaying again and again in her head. She wanted to scream, to fall on her knees and cry her eyes out. Two of her brother had just died before her and there was nothing she could do. Not. A. Thing. And both Romeo Blue and Chrome Brutus were gone. Her mouth slowly started moving, still unable to make a sound. Bastian grabbed her arm.

"Sheila? Hey, Sheila, snap out!"

The girl turned to him and he stopped in his track. Endless pain and sorrow could be read in Gipsy's two grey eyes. Understanding, the teen grabbed her hand and pulled her in the van along the kids. He jumped behind the wheel, backtracked and started driving full speed across the city. As predicted, the anti-Kaiju shelters served nothing. The Kaiju's giant claws effortlessly tore through the asphalt and its tongue grabbed the civilians by the dozen. It was horrible. Gipsy's heart hammered at the speed of sound. If only she was still a Jaeger! If only she could become a giant robot again and stop that monster's rampage! Wishes, all of it. Seeking new shelters, the Kaiju knocked over several buildings. One of them collapsed right in front of the van.

"Brakes!"

Bastian stepped on the brakes as hard as he could. In vain. The van crashed against the fallen skyscraper. When Gipsy regained consciousness, she saw the teen's bloodied head against the wheel. He wasn't breathing. In the back of the vehicle, the two children barely had any bruise. Her left arm, however, felt sore. Giving Bastian one last glance, she headed for the back of the van.

"Let's get out. _Fast_."

She took their hands and ran through the streets. Cassidy and Elisa were holding for dear life, scared and lost. They crossed the streets, following the indications to the hub. With a little luck, they would find a vehicle there and speed out of the city, away from the Kaiju.

Without luck, the Kaiju would see them and hunt them. That's what it did.

Gipsy held the children's hands tighter and took a corner. As long as they were in narrow alleys, the monster would have a hard time catching them. They ran left and right, the Kaiju destroying everything in its path to reach its preys. Elisa was crying now. The trio hid behind a trash container, the human Jaeger holding the two kids against her. Cassidy was shivering like a leaf and Elisa was a nervous wreck. She hugged them tight. Cass was only ten. His sister was nine. They were young and innocent. They had a life waiting for them. They didn't deserve to finish in a Kaiju's stomach. Tears rolled on her cheeks. The Thomsons were nice people and Bastian was in love with her. Gone. All gone. Just like Romeo Blue and Chrome Brutus. Life wasn't fair already and the Kaijus were only making things worse. Rather than destroying the buildings around, the monster tried to catch them with a claw. In the corner of her eyes, she saw it tear the asphalt. The alley was too narrow, fortunately. She heard it roar in frustration. Cassidy was crying too.

"Are we gonna die?"

Her fists clenched.

"Never. I won't let you."

There was a broken pipe by the container. Her eyes lingered on it. Human? Jaeger? Who was she, exactly? Gipsy Danger? Sheila Becket? Feelings pumped across her system. It started with sorrow, turned into white-hot anger before becoming steeled determination. In the end, it didn't matter. She looked at the children in her arms. A feeling unlike any other coursed through her body. Not even in Raleigh and Yancy's memories could she find something similar. Yeah, in the end, what she was didn't matter. What mattered was what she wanted. And she wanted that bloody Kaiju _**dead**_.

"Where are you going?" Elisa asked.

Gipsy took the broken pipe.

"To take that thing down. Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

The pipe was roughly her size, and the human Jaeger was one inch short of six feet. She left the alleyway and starred at the Kaiju. The monster looked at her, its face unreadable. Swift as a whip, its tongue darted at her. And, for the first time, Gipsy realized how fragile a human life really was. There was a reason humans built Jaegers.

"_There are things you can't fight, acts of God. You see a hurricane coming, you have to get out of the way. But when you're in a Jaeger, suddenly, you can fight the hurricane. You can win._"

Gipsy wasn't a Jaeger anymore. Taking the pipe in both hands, she dodged the tongue and lashed. Right at the Kaiju's eye. Before her was a hurricane of flesh and blood. She didn't care she was a human. She didn't care she only had a broken pipe. She would fight the hurricane. She would win. The picture of her pilots passed before her eyes. Then she grabbed the Kaiju's crest and climbed on its head. Another thrust and the monster lost another eye. He roared and rattled and shook its head but the human Jaeger held for dear life. A third eye exploded. Now completely blind on its left side, the Kaiju backed up. It hurt, and not just a little. Gipsy decided to look for other weak points and climbed the monster's back. The rough skin would take more than human arms and a broken pipe to be pierced, but the segmented spine-like bones spotted an interesting feature: they _were_ the Kaiju's spinal cord. She could see the cord protected by a translucent veil running through each bone. Not thinking twice, she took her pipe and thrust it repeatedly. The Kaiju instantly howled and bucked, its roar echoing through the whole city. How did a human fight a mountain-sized abomination? Target its weak point. This is exactly what she did. Animated by this feeling she couldn't explain, Gipsy ragingly tore the cord, hanging by a hand to avoid a fall she knew would be fatal. Kill the Kaiju, kill that monster or he'll eat Cassidy and Elisa. She wanted the monster dead and the children alive. That was all.

The Kaiju crashed in a building and rolled. Gipsy used the momentum to jump, grab a ledge and climb down the destroyed tower to ground level. Once more, she faced her foe. The Kaiju roared in anger. She clenched her pipe, her face feral and fury in her eyes.

"Make me, _bitch!_"

The Kaiju threw its head in her direction. Grabbing her pipe with both hands, she smacked it hard enough that the monster backed away in shock. A rage-filled snarl escaped her lips. The monster tried to grab her with its claws. She simply jumped on the arm, climbed along as fast as she could and reached the spine, this time closer to the skull. Once more, she tore the cord apart, not caring she was getting soaked in Kaiju Blue. The monster quaked and, this time, managed to throw her to the ground. She landed hard on the asphalt, her entire left side exploding in pain. The Kaiju looked at her, licking its lips in anticipation. The Jaeger in disguise tried to stand, her right hand pushing in vain against the ground, but her left side was nothing but nameless pain and she could tell a certain number of her bones were broken, including some ribs. It didn't stop her. She had to stand. She had to fight. She had to protect the kids. Her hand clawed the ground but her body was just so heavy! The Kaiju darted its tongue at her, but turned away when a cry echoed from the alleyway. Cassidy and Elisa were watching, horrified. The Kaiju turned to them and Gipsy froze in terror.

'_No! Please no! Not them! Don't eat the kids! Don't …_'

Her horror was replaced with despair, which was quickly laced with white-hot fury. Power surged through her, coursed her body like a wave of icy water. She felt herself becoming bigger, stronger, tougher. The pain in her left side disappeared completely. In fact, her sense of touch diminished greatly and her sense of taste and smell outright disappeared. Her hearing was, if not gone, at least considerably muted and her vision changed to a more computer-like pattern. And she was starring down the Kaiju. It took her a moment to realize what happened.

'_I'm back._'

Back as a Jaeger, of course. The Kaiju looked at her in shock. The puny human snack that had taken three of its eyes and a part of its cord was now a titan of steel that was looking at it with unreadable expression, but just the way its chest turbine was spinning furiously told the monster the titan was in a sour mood, and it was the cause of it. Both of Gipsy's arms changed into plasma cannons.

"Bye, bitch."

The female Jaeger emptied both clips with a rage-fueled glee. The Kaiju was soon reduced to a smoking carcass, with its innards perfectly visible. The children recoiled at the sight. Gipsy stood over her fallen opponent and raised a foot.

"Just to be sure."

Her foot landed on the spinal cord and crunched it in a disgusting sound. Better safe than sorry, even though the Jaeger knew in the back of her head she was just being needlessly ruthless. Calm took over her, replacing her fury. After the blazing feeling came a wave that felt like soft satin. It was cool and ran through her entire body, almost like a balm. The adrenaline fell and, in a flash of green and white light, she was back as a human. Except her left side didn't hurt and she wasn't covered in Kaiju Blue. Cassidy and Elisa emerged from the alleyway and came to her, a little worried. She had just turned into a giant robot, after all. Gipsy turned to them and gave them her kindest smile.

"Let's leave."

The kids were safe. She had no reason to be angry anymore. Taking both of their hands, she crossed the streets.

* * *

><p><strong>And that's all for the third chapter. At last, the awesomeness kicks in. And yes, even as a human, Gipsy's hardcore enough to take on a Kaiju and give it a beating. Sure, she only won by turning into a Jaeger, but three eyes missing and part of its cord damaged, she didn't do it as a mecha! So, liked it?<strong>

**Chapter four and five finished. See you soon!**


	4. Roving life

**Roving life**

They found a trailer tied to a Land Rover and left Seattle without looking back. The city was a field of ruins and corpses polluted by the carcass of the Kaiju that destroyed it. Nothing left for them.

"What now?" Cassidy asked.

Gipsy looked down.

"I don't know. It's been only four days since I became human. All the memories I have are from Raleigh and Yancy."

"Why don't you go and fight the Kaijus like you did in Seattle, Mommy?" Elisa looked at her.

"Because, as far as the PPDC's concerned, I'm dead. Well, as dead as a giant mecha could be anyway. And I don't want them to find out I've become aware and human. I'm too scared of their reaction. What if they strap me to an operation table and cut me open?"

"Then you'll just become a Jaeger and punish them, right Mommy?"

Gipsy turned to the girl.

"That's the second time you call me Mommy. Why?"

The little girl giggled.

"Because you're all strong and mighty, and you won't let anything happen to us. You're just like those bears in documentaries that maul anyone trying to hurt their cubs. Except mommy bears fight humans and you fight Kaijus."

She had a point. Gipsy looked at the two.

"So … You don't mind if I become your new mother?"

"Mom and Dad were our only family. They're gone now, so we only have you."

Cassidy was right. The kids were alone, and their youth made them vulnerable without an adult to protect them. The human Jaeger sighed.

"I can keep you from harm, that much is for sure. But I'll be honest with you: I have no idea how to raise a child. I'm not even human to start with so … except through my pilots, I have no memories of being raised. I never was."

"It's alright." Cassidy reassured her. "We know you'll do your best. You fought off a Kaiju to protect us, so you _do_ care about us. A lot."

"Thank you, Little One."

First, she had to find a job. She had two mouths to feed, three if she was included, so she better make sure their pockets were full. The simplest solution was mechanic. Being a Jaeger, she had a natural understanding of machines that made her perfect for the job. And, as she discovered, she was naturally stronger and more resilient than regular humans. Sure, people frowned on the fact she was a woman, but the human Jaeger had a threatening glare that shut anyone into an uncomfortable silence. They wandered inland where most of the population had migrated. It was safer. Rather than settling in a city or a village, they chose a wandering life across the States, never staying more than a week in the same place. Knowing the kids couldn't go to school with a life like that, she opted for home-schooling, using books and online classes provided by a computer she had repaired. One of her repairs netted her a nice-looking Suzuki Hayabusa she painted blue and red and adorned with a decal of her emblem. Though she had never used a bike before, she quickly learned to pilot the vehicle and made it her personal ride.

"_We're now speaking from Seattle, which is now nothing more than a giant field of ruins. About four days ago, the Category IV Kaiju called Bladedge reached the city and devastated it despite the combined efforts of Romeo Blue and Chrome Brutus. Both Jaegers were destroyed in the fight and their pilots died with them._"

Gipsy watched the small TV with the kids. Those were the first news they got about the Seattle Disaster.

"_The Kaiju proceeded to tear the shelters open and eat the civilians that had taken refuge within. However, as we can see, someone took care of Bladedge and killed it, shattering its spine in the process. Both Hydra Corinthian, piloted by rangers Kennedy LaRue and Stephanie Lanphier, and Matador Fury, piloted by Rodrigo Alvarez and Noah Salvador, reached the city after the struggle was over and found the Kaiju dead, much to their surprise. Ms. LaRue?_"

The reporter turned to a woman in white ranger gear and wearing mid-long blonde hairs.

"_I couldn't believe it when we found Bladedge dead. When we reached Seattle, we were expecting either that it left or that it was continuing to wreck the city. And instead, we find a half-charred corpse! Talk about unexpected!_"

"_I recognize those wounds._" Noah Salvador said. "_They were made by plasma cannons._"

"_So the Kaiju was killed by a Jaeger._"

"_Yes. But who? Marshall Pentecost sent a message to all Shatterdomes to report about unauthorized Jaeger activity or if a Shatterdome sent its own Jaeger without warning the others. So far, nothing._"

Cassidy grinned.

"Good luck finding the truth."

"Yep! They will never guess it was Mommy who killed it."

Gipsy looked at Elisa fondly and caressed her head. Her brother was allegedly using her chest as a pillow but she didn't mind. He was her son.

"_We don't know the number of casualties yet but it is estimated to be in the hundred thousand. Only a handful of civilians who hid in shelters that weren't targeted by Bladedge survived. No one was able to record the fight between Bladedge and its killer, but we do have videos of the fight between it and Romeo Blue and Chrome Brutus._"

Shaky cams passed on the TV. It was just as Gipsy remembered. With a little luck, the other rangers would be able to learn from it and stay alive.

"_The funeral of Bruce and Trevin Gage, as well as those of Ilisapie Flint and Zeke Amarok, will be conducted in the following weeks. Both their Jaegers will be sent to Oblivion Bay. This is the fourth time the Kaijus launch a successful attack against cities of the Pacific coast. This series of defeats have led to a mass emigration toward the safer inlands. Now, we'll have a word with survivors and various rangers across the world, as well as Marshall Pentecost's opinion on the disaster._"

The human Jaeger looked down.

"Two more carcasses to rust in this scrap yard! I'll never understand why they do that. They've got respect for the ranger but for us? Never. We're just dumb machines!"

Elisa snuggled against her.

"Do you think other Jaegers have become human too?"

Gipsy didn't answer. She didn't know. Stacker Pentecost appeared on screen.

"_The loss of Romeo Blue, Chrome Brutus and their pilots is a terrible blow to the PPDC. Romeo Blue was a veteran Jaeger who's been defending the coasts of America for many years and Chrome Brutus has killed four Kaijus in its career. We will miss them and mourn their deaths. Their rangers were brave men and I knew the Gage twins personally. They deserved a better end than this. But they were rangers. They knew the risks and so did Ilisapie Flint and Zeke Amarok. To them, I bid my farewell. And to the unknown Jaeger who took down that Kaiju, I give my thanks for avenging these men and express my desire to meet you, not only to thank you personally but to meet the person who saved Seattle from total annihilation._"

Cassidy looked at his new mother.

"Are you gonna meet him?"

"No. I told you before: technically, I'm dead. I'm just another pile of scrap in Oblivion Bay. Pentecost is a man of iron and fire. I dread his reaction if he was to learn the truth about me. I have an other idea, though."

Several rangers appeared onscreen.

"_Romeo Blue and Chrome Brutus fought and died as heroes._" Sacha Kaidanovsky declared. "_We will remember their sacrifice._"

"_They were brave men, that's for sure_." Herc Hansen looked down. "_I piloted Mark Is at Bruce and Trevin's side and the cousins were always good company. To whoever it was who killed that Kaiju: thank._"

"_What happened at Seattle was a miracle._" An Yuna smiled. "_The city was doomed without the intervention of that unknown Jaeger._"

Her partner passed an arm on her shoulders.

"_She's right. They may have been less than two hundred survivors, but it's already something, huh?_"

Yuna nodded. Chuck was also interviewed.

"_Romeo Blue and Chrome Brutus were outdated Jaegers. I'm not surprised that Kaiju got 'em. With my dad and I in Striker Eureka, we could've taken it solo with no problem._"

Gipsy hissed at the man.

"Cocky headshot! He really is like his Jaeger: young and flashy."

Finally, the survivors spoke.

"_We heard everything from the shelter. When the Kaiju started tearing them open, everyone freaked out. Then there was the fight. Whoever saved us, I wish he'd stuck around._"

"_I was never so happy to see a Kaiju corpse in my life! Thank you! Thank you so much!_"

"_He saved us …_" A child muttered. "_And then he left. Why? If he stayed he'd be a real hero by now!_"

"_This is a miracle, I tell you! A miracle!_"

"_I wonder what kind of person goes and kills a Kaiju then vanishes without a trace. I mean, rangers are like rock stars. They're super popular. I wish I could put a name or a face on the guy who saved me._"

The next morning, Gipsy went to a cybercafé and created an anonymous mailbox. Then she wrote Pentecost a message.

_Bladedge wasn't killed by patriotism or the desire to add a new kill up one's list. It was killed by a mother protecting her children._

When the Marshall read his mails in the evening, he was surprised to find the anonymous message. Tracking it down led to nowhere and, as far as he knew, the only rangers who had a child were Duc and Kaori Jessop, the deceased pilots of Tacit Ronin and Hercules, his old friend, who didn't fit either for obvious reasons. Sacha and Aleksis Kaidanovsky didn't have children, nor did Irina and Dimitri Djanov from Eden Assassin, Jeremiah and Sarah Lewis from Mammoth Apostle and Bayu and Agatha Veers, pilots of Delta Asura. Sergio and Caitlin D'onofrio had a daughter but were retired and Brawler Yukon had been scrapped some time ago. When he saw the message, the Australian ranger wholeheartedly agreed with it.

"I don't know who that chick is, but she's right: seeing his kid in trouble is the best way to rile a parent, especially a mother. Knowing this, I'm not surprised Bladedge's corpse was so damaged. She must've been furious."

Pentecost decided to publish the message, which instantly went viral. Lots of theories ran wild about the identity of the Jaeger and its pilot. Wait, pilot? Weren't Jaegers meant to be piloted in tandem? And yet, the message only mentioned one person. This added a layer of mystery to the event. Gipsy grinned when she got wind of the rumors. Only she and the children knew the truth, and she was fine with it. Then two persons caught wind of the event.

Oda Miyamoto watched the news from his PC. Behind him, the little girl was curled in her bed, her stuffed tiger in her arms. Sure, this article dated back from six months, but what it told was still relevant to him. A blonde man approached him.

"So?"

"She's one of us." Oda simply said. "And I think I know who she is. What surprises me is that she's taken kids under her wings. I didn't take her to be the maternal kind."

"I wasn't expecting you to have a kid either, man."

"She is Duc and Kaori's daughter. I never forgave myself for failing to protect her parents. I hope … I can redeem myself by taking care of their daughter. Poor Hinata! It took me three months roaming Japan's foster system to find her. It will be the fourth since I awoke."

The blonde bowed.

"I can only admire such dedication. I've been awake for three months."

Oda grinned.

"You can't wait to meet her, do you?"

"Are you kidding, man? I've explored Oblivion Bay and checked which Jaegers were still active. As far as I know, only us three were reborn. That's why I can't wait to meet her. I want to have a long talk with her. Wonder what she looks like."

"What I'm wondering is how we're going to find her." Oda grumbled. "I've checked every new on the web, looked for the smallest clue. And yet, Gipsy is like a ghost."

"Patience, partner. Sooner or later, I know we'll find a lead."

They didn't find a lead. They found the lady herself. The human Jaeger, in her robotic form, had decided to cool her vents in the sea when she noticed a Kaiju, apparently Category III, heading for Sacramento. The beast wasn't very discrete. He wasn't very lucky either. Cassidy was the first to notice the unusual ripples made by the beast. Gipsy saw them, understood and fired one plasma shot that scratched the monster's back. The Kaiju turned and rose from the water. It was six-armed, serpentine with a crocodile head and a spear-headed tail. It jumped to the plasma canon but Gipsy caught the mouth with her other arm, allowing her to fire three shots in the monster's stomach. Angry and bleeding, it lashed its tail at her head but the Jaeger reacted and dodged the move, folding back her canon in the process. She then wrapped her free arm around the tail and emptied her coolant on the appendage to freeze it. Why Raleigh and Yancy had never used the stunt before was beyond her knowledge. For now, the tail was frozen. She shattered it and freed her other hand from the monster's mouth, grabbing both jaws in the process and pulling as hard as she could. The lower jaw snapped and fell in the sea. Now deprived of most of its weapons, the Kaiju tried to retreat. Gipsy flipped it over and emptied her right plasma canon in its stomach. Then she hammered it a little to make sure it was dead. Cassidy and Elisa cheered from the beach.

"Better leave the place, Little Ones." The Jaeger grinned as she became human. "Kaiju Blue is going to pollute the area and I'd rather not see you get sick with the fumes."

Cassidy giggled.

"That sure wasn't your cleanest kill."

"Sorry, Cass. I only have my fists and my plasmacasters."

"And your cooling vents." Elisa grinned. "And your chest turbine. And any piece of building you find appropriate."

Gipsy laughed wholeheartedly. Knowing how dangerous the Kaijus were getting, she had slowly stripped herself from any notion of fair fight, which resulted in her being pragmatic at best and an outright dirty fighter in her worst days. The two kids teased her endlessly about it. They stopped when they saw a Japanese man on a Kawasaki Ninja and a blonde man lying against a blue Alpha Romeo Stradale. Both were clapping their hands.

"Well, that was an interesting fight. I had my guess you'd become more ruthless with the Seattle Disaster. This fight just confirmed my suspicions."

Gipsy instantly stood in front of the kids.

"Do I know you? I don't think we met before."

"We have, albeit not under this shape."

The Japanese man left his ride and folded his sleeve. From the base of his elbow emerged a curved blade. The blonde man at his side grinned.

"As for me, I'll just say you avenged me rather violently at Seattle. Is it enough for you?"

Gipsy's eyes widened. A Japanese with curved elbow blades and an American that looked a lot like the Gages … and drove a blue Alpha Romeo. A smile crept on her face.

"Tacit Ronin. Romeo Blue."

* * *

><p><strong>And here is the next chapter, the aftermath of the Seattle Disaster. Gip and the kids have started their new life but life has a certain number of surprises in store ... Like Ronin and Romeo's return.<strong>

**Now, as they say in the source material, there was roughly 30 Jaegers active when the PPDC was at its peak. I took the freedom of creating seven original Jaegers to fill the number. Delta Asura is one of them and others will show up in the following chapters.**

**About Delta Asura: piloted by Bayu and Agatha Veers, married and Indonesian, its main colors are yellow with blue strips. It is a Mark IV outfitted with a two retractable swords. Privileges agility and speed and only has an average armor. It will later be destroyed at Mindanao by Taurax, in 2022. (This part isn't plot relevant)**

**The other original Jaegers are Angel Storm, Midnight Chaos, Hurricane Star, Omega Ryu, Lion Avenger and Epsilon Black.**

**Now, for the reviews ...**

**- Pyro: Raleigh isn't going to meet Gip before at least several years. But yeah, don't stand between a Jaeger and its kids. As some people will find out in two chapters, it just isn't healthy ... And there's two of them since Ronin adopted his pilots' daughter.**

**Just to help you, here is a short timeline I made to help myself in writing that story, but it should help you too. I took some artistic licence regarding the canon (like Tacit Ronin's disappearance).**

_2020_

February: **Gipsy Danger** vs. Knifehead, GD sent to Oblivion Bay.

March: **Horizon Brave** & **Coyote Tango** destroyed together, **Angel Storm** flees

April: **Lucky Seven** destroyed, **Tacit Ronin** in a different attack

June: _Gipsy_ awakens, Seattle Disaster with **Romeo Blue** & **Chrome Brutus** destroyed.

September: _Tacit Ronin_ awakens and starts looking for Hinata

October: _Romeo Blue_ awakens

November: TR finds Hinata Jessop and adopts her, **Epsilon Black** destroyed by Atticon in Seoul

**We are at the beginning of December. I don't give you this part because it would spoil the next two chapters.**

**Okay, that's all for now. See you soon!**


	5. Rhapsody in blue

**Rhapsody in blue**

Jaegers and kids gathered in Gipsy's trailer.

"So, what can I get you? I've got orange juice, tea, coffee …"

"Orange juice!" The children said together.

"I will take tea." Ronin calmly said.

"Coffee for me." Romeo chose.

The kids had started chatting in a corner, leaving the three adults to themselves.

"And here I thought I was the only one reborn! Talk about a surprise! How long have you two been awake?"

"Four months for me." Ronin answered. "I took a month to get used to being human and spent the following three looking for Hinata. She is Duc and Kaori's daughter."

Gipsy understood. She had adopted Cassidy and Elisa for similar reasons: because she was close to their parents.

"I awoke three months ago." Romeo frowned. "It was disturbing to say the least. I met Ronin no long after he returned from Japan. We knew you were awake too since your remains were missing and you were listed as dead in the PPDC's list. We were wondering how to find you …"

"And then you saw me tear that Kaiju apart. Did you like the show?"

Romeo nodded in appreciation.

"For a Mark III, you're pretty in shape. And let's not get started on your human form. I'd be lying if I said I don't find you gorgeous."

The girl growled and looked away. Even with her sweater, her chest was still prominent and the blonde Jaeger's eyes were set on it.

"What did Elisabeth say about men, already? I swear I hate them!"

Romeo looked offended.

"You hate them? Seriously? Gip, a woman's chest is her greatest treasure! Tracks like that, you flaunt them instead of hiding them behind that baggy grayish horror!"

He made a move to touch them. Bad idea. Before Ronin could stop them, she had yanked his arm in his back and grinded his head on the floor.

"Never _ever_ make a move like that if you value your limbs, Casanova."

Then she released him. The blonde Jaeger winced.

"Damn she's strong!"

"Yep." Cassidy grinned. "During Seattle, she couldn't transform into a Jaeger from the start so she faced Bladedge as a human with just a broken pipe. She took three of its eyes and part of its spine before it floored her, and even with half the bones in her left side broken, she still tried to stand."

"And when the Kaiju attacked her, she smacked it hard enough that it reeled away." Elisa cheered. "And when it roared at her, she told it to make her."

Romeo and Ronin looked at each other in silent awe.

"Boobs of steel, man. Boobs of steel."

Ronin shook his head.

"A stunt like that, she has them in titanium."

Gipsy took some orange juice and sipped it.

"So, what kind of life are you having right now?"

Romeo took a cap.

"I work as a private detective. It allows me to roam the States while looking for others like us while keeping an apparently normal life. My real dream, though, would be to become a cop. But since I have to look for our siblings, I've got to stay on the move. My human name is Romeo Azzur, by the way."

The female Jaeger looked at him. Short blonde hairs and bright blue eyes, he was wearing a short denim vest over a white tank top and stylish blue pants, complete with rather expensive brown shoes. He was also two good heads taller than her and buffer, which made him almost a giant by human standards.

"Gucci? You have taste. And the same goes for your Stradale. Where did you find it?"

Romeo looked sheepish.

"Well, you know how many cities on the seaside have been abandoned following the Kaiju attacks. There's an abandoned dealership that holds a lot of rare cars and bikes. I thought you knew it since you have a Hayabusa. Ronin's Kawasaki Ninja comes from here too."

"I got my Hayabusa from a deal. The poor thing had its hull wrecked and its pilot was stuck in a wheelchair. He gave it to me in return for repairing his PC. Easy job …"

Ronin laughed softly.

"His loss. I heard those bikes are the only street-legal motorcycles that go beyond 185 mph. It is literally the fastest bike alive."

"In other words, it's perfect to bait or outrun a Kaiju. And I thought you'd take a Californian identity rather than an Italian one, Casanova."

"Yeah. Well, it's not like I have an ID card or anything. I don't even have a license for my Stradale!"

"Then we know what to do. I've kept in touch with several customers, one of which dabbles in papers. Repaired his printer four weeks ago. He doesn't live that far. Now … What about you, Ronin? What are you doing currently?"

The Japanese Jaeger sighed.

"Odd jobs. Now I have Hinata, I'm looking forward to something more definitive but I don't really know what to do. We were created as war machines, after all."

"And look where it led." Romeo growled. "Sure, our rangers got a hero's funerals but us? Dumped in Oblivion Bay like outdated junk! I'm glad to be human, that's for sure! At least I can do something else than punching Kaijus!"

"Feel you on this." Gipsy sighed. "You know, before we reached Seattle, I asked Cass and Lisa's parents if I could become part of their family. Had they still been alive, my last name would be Thomson by now."

"What is your current name?"

"Sheila Becket. Becket because of Raleigh and Yancy and Sheila is the name Elisabeth gave me. They were good people."

"Duc and Kaori were good people too. They had plans for the future. They wanted to leave the military, open a small business and raise their daughter. Kaori always wanted to sell flowers. Duc was more for being a gunsmith. This was one of their few disagreements."

Romeo shook his head.

"The Kaijus have taken many people we hold dear. Yancy, the twins, Kaori, Duc … And Cassidy and Elisa's parents, to what I understood. I wish I knew a way to make it stop …"

"The only way to stop it would be to close the Breach. They tried to nuke it three times, with increasingly bigger bombs. Never worked. So, unless someone finds and alternative, Earth is stuck fighting Kaijus that are getting bigger and more dangerous with every attack. So, so far, there's nothing we can do."

Gipsy looked at her hands. Energy tickled in them, soon turning into arcs of blue energy.

"You're wrong. There's something we can do." Her eyes narrowed. "Kaijus are strong, but they are alive, and any living can be killed. Invincible is just a word, as what happened to us proved."

Romeo frowned.

"You want us to go back fighting Kaijus?"

"Yes and no. I heard a group of Quakers has settled near Oblivion Bay. I know them, they're nice people. Living at their side will grant us both regular jobs and the chance to keep an eye on the scrap yard in case more of us return. As for fighting the Kaijus, I'm not suggesting we join the PPDC, that would be stupid in our condition. But we can still independently stop the Kaijus that near our coasts. That we can shape-shift will make us harder to find and we'll still save people from those fleshy horrors. And let's not forget the kids."

Ronin had to agree. He was in need for a stable situation and Hinata needed a real school to study. And Romeo could become a cop to protect the small community. They made a stop by Gipsy's friend so the two male Jaegers could get papers and regulate the Kawa and the Alpha Romeo. Now going by Bryan Aster, the blue Mark I followed his friends to the village founded by the Quakers. As Gipsy promised, the religious group treated them respectfully and offered them a place to live in. It was a small building that held roughly a dozen apartments, enough that each member of the trio had his own flat while leaving room for the soon-to-be reborn Jaegers. The mayor's brother also happened to know the Thomsons.

"Great Lord, I'll recognize those faces anywhere! Cassidy! Elisa!"

The children ran to the man and hugged him.

"Uncle Matthew!"

"Do you know this man, Little Ones?"

"Yep! He's Cassidy's godfather."

Gipsy grinned. Godfather was more an honorific than anything else, but it still counted as family to some.

"Children, what happened to your parents? Who is this woman?"

Cassidy looked down and told him about the disaster. He didn't reveal his new mother was a Jaeger, simply saying she fought off the Kaiju long enough for the mysterious Jaeger to show up, to which Gipsy lied she'd been knocked unconscious when the mecha interfered. Matthew was saddened.

"What you did was very courageous. Any sane human would have fled at the sight of such monster, yet you challenged it to protect the kids. I won't deny you motherhood over those two. Did you officially adopt them?"

"No."

"Then I'll give you the papers. You earned them."

This connection eased the group's integration greatly. There was no police force in the village so even though he had a cop cap and jacket, Romeo's role was more that of a peacekeeper and even then, the community was so peaceful it was almost boring. Ronin first tried himself as an English teacher before noticing people were curious about Hinata's foreignness and chose to teach Japanese language and culture. Gipsy kept her job as a mechanist. A week after they settled, some villagers who were wandering by Oblivion Bay found an Asian man in a half-delirious state and brought him to the doctor. Then the man nearly froze his room in a fit of panic. The three Jaegers winced at the event.

"I didn't think our cover would be busted so soon." Romeo grimaced.

"I didn't think it would be busted at all. So, an ice-casting Asian? This has to be Horizon Brave."

The mayor soon called the trio in his office, his face filled with worry. Despite being monster-punching mechanical titans, all three Jaegers were nervous. The mayor crossed his arms.

"I … guess you want to know who this guy is and why he can cast ice, right?" Romeo asked.

"Yes. And I have the feeling his identity is related to you given how nervous you three are."

Gipsy looked down.

"I know your community values integrity and truth, but there are truths that just cannot be admitted. You're right, we three know him and his secret is related to ours. But I lived the past six months with the fear that, should my real identity be discovered, I'd end up on an operation table."

Fortunately to them, the mayor seemed disgusted by the idea. Promising.

"It's really that bad?"

Ronin nodded.

"You people are nice. We enjoy living at your side. But we have to know if we can trust you, otherwise there will always be a certain uneasiness in our interactions. Can we?"

The mayor closed his eyes and thought for a moment.

"We Quakers have always promoted open-mindedness, equality and integrity. I don't know who or what you are, but I am ready to accept it and I think the same goes for the others. Otherwise, we would be undeserving of our name."

The trio nodded and turned to Ronin. The human Jaeger folded his sleeve and unsheathed his elbow blade. At the same time, Gipsy was generating blue energy arcs in her hand.

"The reason we can do this …" Ronin explained. "… is because we aren't really humans. We look and act like humans, but we are in fact Jaegers that gained a consciousness and were reborn. I am the Jaeger Tacit Ronin, Bryan is in fact Romeo Blue and Sheila is Gipsy Danger. As for the man you found, he is Horizon Brave."

The mayor looked at them with a stunned face, processing the discovery in his head.

"Go to your friend." His voice was muted. "His recovery is nearly over. He will like to be around familiar faces."

The three nodded and left. Gipsy was worried and it showed. Romeo was worried too but he tried to hide it. He passed a hand on the female Jaeger's shoulders. She didn't push him back.

Horizon Brave opened his eyes. He was in a white room and three faces were edging his vision. Most of all, he was feeling strange.

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty."

It was a sing-song suave voice that came from his left. He tried to rise, only for pain to drill through his head. A feminine hand pushed him back.

"Rest. You are confused and lost. Don't worry, you'll feel better soon."

She gave him a glass filled with a liquid that was a bit salty. The pain slowly disappeared.

"Where am I?"

"In the doctor's medical room." The suave voice answered. "You looked quite sick when the people found you."

"To be more exact …" A deep and soft voice answered. "You are in Sunset Beach, California. Only a few miles away from Oblivion Bay."

"What do you last remember?" The feminine voice asked.

"The pain."

The Chinese Jaeger shivered. Tears edged his eyes before being dried with a tissue.

"It's alright. We've all been through that. I saw your remains in Oblivion Bay. That Kaiju didn't go easy on you."

"It went for my reactor. It exploded … and then everything was silent." Tears ran again. "I guess Ho and Xichi didn't survive."

"Dead, like the Gages, the Jessops and Yancy."

Horizon Brave managed to rise and sit on the bed.

"What happened?"

"You were reborn, just like the three of us. We don't know why but, after we were destroyed, we somehow awoke in Oblivion Bay as humans. We can still turn into Jaegers when needed and retain some of our abilities such as me firing plasma blasts, Ronin having fang blades below his elbows and you making ice."

He could see clearly now. Indeed, he was in a medical room and three persons were around him. The first was a very tall blonde man, the second looked Asian and the third was a busty lady. He looked at his hands. Indeed, they were those of a human.

"Who are you?"

The three looked at one another.

"If we were Jaegers, you'd recognize us instantly. We did some drops together." The blonde held a hand on his chest. "Bryan Aster, originally Romeo Blue." The Asian gave a light bow. "Oda Miyamoto, also known as Tacit Ronin." The woman smiled gently. "Sheila Becket or Gipsy Danger, it's as you want."

The Jaeger's eyes widened. Indeed, he remembered the three. He had heard of Tacit Ronin, the fastest of the Mark Is, and he had teamed with both Romeo Blue and Gipsy Danger, in Hawaii and Manilla respectively. He also remembered through his pilots the news telling of Gipsy's fall. Now his three comrades in arms, his siblings, were standing at his side in human form. The thought made him smile.

"So … If the four of us returned, does that mean the others will be back too?"

"The chances are high." Ronin nodded. "How do you feel?"

"My stomach feels empty. That apart, it doesn't hurt that much."

"Good. David?"

A man in a white blouse appeared and smiled.

"Give me the time to make a few checkups and he's good."

The checkups went fine. Now free to go, the trio took their new friend to their house. The Chinese Jaeger took the time to watch the village as he walked. The houses has a Victorian air that made them rather warm and the salmon, yellow and green colors helped put the visitors at ease. The sun shone bright. Finally, they reached the apartment.

"There are four floors, each holding three flats." Gipsy answered. "The ground level is common ground. It has a kitchen, a living room, a reunion chamber and even closets and a storage room. Ronin and I life on the first floor while Romeo lives in the second. Every flat is outfitted already, so all you have to do is choose."

Horizon Brave thought a little.

"I'll take the third floor."

"Alright."

Romeo and Ronin helped him settle while Gipsy went to the kitchen and started preparing dinner for four. They did it at times, when they wanted to relax and chat or for when the children wanted to eat together. The Chinese Jaeger noticed Romeo wasn't helping with the cooking, unlike Ronin, and was just setting the table.

"I'd sooner burn the kitchen than make anything tasty, much less edible." The blonde Jaeger sheepishly grinned. "Gip's usually the one who does most of the cooking when we eat together, though Ronin helps her a lot. They're not the greatest cooks in the world, but I'm not difficult. As long as it tastes good and won't get me sick, I'm into it."

He noticed three kids watching TV in the living room. Romeo explained.

"The Asian girl is Hinata Miyamoto, born Jessop. She's the daughter of Duc and Kaori, Ronin's former pilots. Finding her is the first thing he did after waking up. The other two are Cassidy and Elisa, Gipsy's 'Little Ones'. Their parents found her and helped her adapt, then died during the Seattle Disaster. She saved them and has been raising them ever since."

Horizon nodded. He didn't expect his brethren would take on raising children. He went to the kitchen and looked at Gipsy and Ronin cooking. Out of curiosity, he took a cooking book and looked at it. A glance at the food told him what the two were making.

"… Can I help you?"

Gipsy didn't turn, focused on her dish.

"There are vegetables to peel and cut if you want. Or you could add the spices on the chicken wings and make them heat. You can read a recipe?"

"Easily."

And it was true. Reading the recipe in the book just once had allowed him to understand the dish. The chicken wings were even easier to make. He wrapped the wings in the spice mix and put it to heat in the oven, then went for the vegetables. With three pairs of hands, dinner was soon ready. Horizon even asked and was allowed to make one of the cakes he had found. The trio was surprised when they tasted it.

"Wow, now that's what I call delicious! You did it yourself?"

"Yeah. It was fun."

The children were wolfing on the cake like there was no tomorrow. Gipsy grinned.

"Somebody has a knack for cooking."

Horizon beamed. His pilots may not have been good cooks, but he still enjoyed making dishes and was apparently good at it, if the smile on his brethren's face was anything to come by. They spent the evening talking about what happened to them, how they died, former missions and the community that had welcomed them. Suddenly, someone knocked at the door. Gipsy went to open.

"Mayor? What do you want?"

The elder man entered and looked at the group, who was understandably worried.

"I gathered the community and told you the truth about your identities." His voice was solemn. "It came as a shock and many of us were surprised, but they had to know who you really are. We value integrity, after all."

"Not all truths are good to say." Gipsy frowned. "When do the mad scientists show up?"

"They won't. Everyone agreed to keep your nature a secret."

The four Jaegers looked at one another.

"No way!"

"Yes way, my dears. Many consider it a miracle that Earth's mightiest defenders were granted a new life as humans. The other half thinks you deserved it and I am hard-pressed to disagree. For many years, you have held back the monsters that were threatening our lives. It is only fair that you were given a second chance. And many of us sleep tighter knowing four Jaegers are watching over this town. Don't worry, my friends. More than ever, you and your soon-to-be reborn brethren are welcome in Sunset Beach. So sleep tight tonight. No harm will be done to you."

The four Jaegers looked silently at one another before a collective sigh escaped their lips. Their secret was out in the open, but only in the village and the villagers were ready to help the Jaegers that would awaken. Horizon Brave started integrating in the community, taking the alias of Liang Ho Shen and learning to behave like a regular human. He learned fast, fortunately, Gipsy, Romeo and Ronin having been through the process. When the time came to get a job, the answer came naturally. The Chinese Jaeger was natural at cooking and the town lacked a restaurant. Helped with two people who were interested in the business, he quickly set shop in a corner not too far from the apartment. The Western Dragon, as it was called, soon gained a famous reputation. Horizon had gotten his hands on a Chinese recipe book and had a fun time mixing both oriental and occidental cuisines. As a result, the three menus of the Western Dragon were called Chinese Delight, Californian Dream and Pacific Course. Two weeks after the restaurant opened, Romeo and Ronin took him and Gipsy for a trip.

"Remember the dealership I told you about? I think it's time our friend Horizon got his own cool ride. His driving skills are great enough by now."

Soon, a blue Alpha Romeo, a Suzuki Hayabusa and a Kawasaki Ninja were speeding on the highway. The dealership was located near Oakland, in a completely abandoned area. No one came here, it was too vulnerable to Kaiju attacks. They stopped by the entrance and reached the garage. Gipsy stopped at the sight. There were nearly a hundred of high-class cars and motorcycles carefully parked in order and belonging to brands from all over the world.

"The man who set this dealership knew what he was doing. I'm spotting four different Lamborghinis, a dozen Hondas, just as much Harleys, Fords, Jaguars, BMWs, Dodges … Wait, isn't it a Hennessey Venom? And a Pagani Huayra? No way, they even have a Lovebug!"

Horizon Brave saw none of that. Instead, he went straight for a nice-looking Chevrolet Corvette, design C5.

"I take this one."

"Alright." Romeo smiled. "Let's give it a paint job, that it's to your colors. Wanna add your decal too?"

Indeed, all three of the Jaegers' rides spotted their owner's colors and their emblem somewhere on their hull. Gipsy's emblem was the star with wings, Romeo had a dragon-looking bird and Ronin had a samurai armor. Horizon's emblem was a Chinese dragon. They drove the Corvette to the tinkering area and took the yellow and orange paint. One hour later, the car was yellow with orange outlines and the Jaeger's emblem on the hood. The return was spent racing on the highway, Horizon looking like Christmas had come early. He was surprised that Gipsy could keep up with him.

"Dude!" Romeo grinned. "She's driving the fastest bike ever made! Max speed is 187 mph, I think."

"Wow!"

"Totally. Come on, I don't feel like being owned by a lady, even if she's wearing double Ds!"

"I was wondering what size she had … Okay, let's go!"

They stopped as soon as they reached Sunset Beach, however. Indeed, a group of people wearing familiar red outfits was preaching in the main plaza. The four recognized them instantly.

"BuenaKai."

* * *

><p><strong>And here it is (well, this chapter was finished a while ago already ...). Next one, we find out what happens when a bunch of Kaiju cultists crosses a town that hosts Jaegers. And why going against a Jaeger's family is actually pretty stupid. Anyway, I had orginally planned for Romeo Blue and Tacit Ronin's emblems to be different, until I remembered there were emblems on the Jaeger Designer. Right guess, they were the two's, plus Coyote's emblem. A change was in order.<strong>

**So, how did you like this chapter? Indeed, every human Jaeger retains one weapon. Ronin has his fang blades, Gipsy has her casters, Horizon can generate ice and Romeo, I'll let you guess. And Horizon is the team cook. Like it?**

**- sorarocks531: wow, I wasn't expecting a review. Thank you.**

**See you soon, guys!**


	6. Religious disagreements

**Religious disagreements**

The cultists had gathered on the main square, dressed in red garments and wearing red hats and hoods. The people of Sunset Beach were listening to them, muttering among themselves and glaring at the group. Apparently, they weren't happy with their presence. When Gipsy heard their words, she understood.

"For indeed I tell you, my brothers, the end has come! Repent for your sins! Let the Kaijus devour them with your bodies as your souls leave this lowly world!"

The four looked at one another in disbelief.

"Someone tells me they're joking." Romeo uttered.

Matthew saw them, turned to them and shook his head.

"They're being serious." Ronin growled. "Great."

"The PPDC and its heralds, the Jaegers, are only delaying the forecoming of our saviors. Their efforts are in vain. Every assault, the Kaijus are getting stronger. The false prophets that are the Jaegers are only winning by a hair breadth when they win at all. Three Jaegers disappeared these past six months. Can't you see this is a sign? The PPDC lies to you and wastes its time making fake hope and causing needless strife. Let us all bow to the Kaijus and pray that they free us from this pathetic world!"

"He's right." Gipsy darkly said. "Epsilon Black was destroyed fighting Atticon in Seoul last month. Things are really getting worse."

Horizon looked at the preachers in red.

"Criticizing Jaegers in a town that hides and hosts them. The Quakers are nice and hate both lies and violence, but push them too far and here come the heavy shotguns."

And indeed, the inhabitants were getting quite loud in their protests. The mayor eventually came and the group went closer.

"I think I speak for all of my brethren when I say your words have fallen into deaf ears. We of Sunset Beach have been watching over Oblivion Bay since our foundation and all of us, alone or together, pray for the pilots who gave their lives to save ours. We members of the Religious Society of Friends are known for our tolerance. You Kaiju cultists are edging its borders. Begone now, and do _not_ return."

His voice suffered no opposition. The cultists growled and started packing. The four Jaegers came to the man.

"So, what's the point?"

"The point is that these fanatics arrived some time after you left and started blabbering their usual speech on the main square. We're the town closest to Oblivion Bay … and Trespasser's remains. They have a temple around. So far, they were keeping their activities low, but with nine Jaegers gone in one year, one can understand why they're suddenly more active."

Horizon Brave counted on his fingers.

"Gipsy in Anchorage, me and Coyote at Lima, Lucky Seven north of Melbourne …"

"I died during Isonade's strike on the Kamtchaka peninsula." Tacit Ronin frowned. "Omega Ryu and Cherno ended that bastard. Romeo and Brutus were killed at Seattle by Bladedge, which Gipsy killed, and now Epsilon Black has fallen to Atticon."

Romeo rubbed his chin.

"I don't remember. Was it Crimson Typhoon or Striker Eureka who got it? Also, about the Lima attack, there was Brave, Coyote and Angel Storm. You and Coyote died, but I don't recall anything about finding Angel's wreckage somewhere …"

"Because there was none." Gipsy explained. "Just the corpse of his first pilot. Angel fled from the fight after one of his pilots was torn from his conn-pod, which forced the military to nuke Cobracàn before it made landfall. It took me a while, but I found a recording of the fight, as well as the falls of Lucky Seven, your own, Tacit, and Atticon's attack. Seattle, I was there so there was no need."

"We'll have to watch them, then. May I ask why?"

"Learning purposes. I watch how Kaijus fight, what our brethren do and I try to avoid making the same mistakes. In Seattle and Anchorage, you and I both forgot to double-check, Romeo. And it cost us both. When I faced Bladedge, I made sure it stayed dead."

"I've seen the remains." Romeo winced. "The spine-crushing at the end was _maybe_ unnecessary …"

"Still felt good."

"I can guess. Emptying your plasma cannons on it too."

"Damn right."

Horizon crossed his arms.

"Back on topic, we still got eight Jaegers KIA and one Jaeger AWOL. I'm not surprised people are losing faith in us."

"Because they don't know the truth."

The foursome turned to see Matthew come to them. Cassidy's godfather smiled.

"Eight Jaegers may have disappeared, but four have returned and the one who wasn't destroyed is still out there. It may be hiding, but it and its pilot are still alive." The man sighed. "I heard the United Nations are making plans for a wall to be built around some areas of the pacific rim. Anchorage, Sidney, the Tokyo metropolis …"

"They're mad." Romeo Blue shook his head. "Even if they make it a mile thick and use concrete armed with titanium, the Kaijus are going to whale through it like a hot knife through butter. Look, we Jaegers are tough, right? I mean, titanium alloy, carbon technology, thick steel plating … And even with that, the Kaijus still manage to reap us a new one! I know our armor isn't that thick but look at Cherno Alpha, or even Omega Ryu. Those two are bloody _tanks_, and the Kaijus still manage to dent them! So a wall? Bitch please …"

"They are afraid, that's all. People take illogical decisions under pressure. Jaegers may lose to the Kaijus but, as you noted, Atticon was killed, Bladedge by Sheila and either Cherno Alpha or Omega Ryu took down Isonade. A wall won't kill Kaijus, nor will it stop them for long if what you said is true. You have my support, as well as that of Sunset Beach."

It made the foursome a little happier. Somehow, Gipsy seemed eager to show them the recording of Cobracàn. Horizon was understandably nervous at witnessing his own death but, when the video played on the TV of the common room, Gipsy told them to focus not on the Kaiju but on Angel Storm. The white and gold Striker Eureka look-alike spent a good minute clutching its head after Cobracàn tore his conn-pod with its fangs, during which the Kaiju took down Coyote Tango. When he stood up, everybody could tell: Angel wasn't being moved by his pilot. He was moving on his own. Cobracàn constricted itself around Horizon Brave and tightened its grasp, slowly crushing the Jaeger. Instead of attacking, the Jaeger took several steps back and broke into a sprint away from the battlefield, his hand still on his conn-pod as if he was trying to protect his only remaining pilot. This here wasn't ranger behavior. The group looked at one another.

"Sentient."

Angel Storm was alive. But could he turn into a human like they did? The group was curious. The next morning, Gipsy took her bike and went to Oblivion Bay. She wanted to explore the place and pay her homage to her fallen siblings. Using a small rowboat by the wharf, she reached the place in five minutes and wandered between the rusted corpses. The wind was howling as mournfully as ever. She stopped by the torn body of Lucky Seven and closed her eyes, silent for a minute before heading to Coyote Tango to repeat the same process. She was heading to Chrome Brutus's remains when voices made her stop. Locating them was easy. Hidden behind a chassis, she froze when he saw five cultists tagging the colossus's silver armor. Clad in bluish robes, they were drawing Kaijus and writing obscene comments on the chassis, some of them tearing it with sledgehammers. The sight made her blood boil. How dared them!? Brutus had saved hundreds of thousands of people, and not only had he been sent to rust in this scrap yard, but now people were desecrating his corpse! Not on her watch. No way. Her hand reached for the closest thing it could reach, which turned to be a metal pole whose end was broken so it made a sharp tip. Perfect. Then she jumped at the cultists.

The novices had barely finished a rather nice picture of Bladedge when a hurricane of steel fell on them. Before anyone knew what was going on, three were knocked out cold. The other two, with the sledgehammers, were faster to recover and lurched at the woman, unaware they were dealing with a very angry Jaeger in disguise. One made an upward blow that knocked the pole out of Gipsy's hand, only for the girl to kick him in the balls, grab her weapon and whack him on the head. She ducked under the other hammer, slammed her pole in the novice's stomach and mowed his legs before threatening his throat with the sharp end of her pole. Then, one of the novices she had knocked at the beginning of the fight grabbed her from behind. Bad idea. Not only was she taller, she was also much stronger. One kick in the leg to make him lose his footing, then a toss that knocked him in the first cultist with the sledgehammer. The cultist she was holding at point blank, seeing the threat gone, rose and lurched at her. Gipsy narrowly blocked the move with her pole, which barely bent. A kick in the stomach pushed him away. Now her left hand was free, blue lightning coursed through her fingers. The cultist's eyes widened. Before he could react, the plasma bolt had caught him in the stomach. The female Jaeger winced at the result. Why did she think it would be different than with a Kaiju, anyway? To her defense, it was the first time she was using her caster in human form. She took her phone and called Romeo.

"Hello, Casanova. Guess who I met in the scrap yard …"

"_An other one of us?_"

"Cultists. They were defiling Chrome Brutus's remains."

"_… I'm coming._"

Half an hour later, the Jaeger policeman was here. Gipsy had tied the four still-living cultists with cable she had found so her friend had an easy time cuffing them. Then he saw the last one.

"Ouch! You used your caster on him?"

"Yeah. I don't know what got me. Must've been mad."

"You say they were desecrating Brutus's corpse. I think I would've been pretty pissed too if I caught them in the act."

"See for yourself."

Romeo turned and saw the graffiti on the silver chassis. His face became pale.

"I'm tempted to drop them on the main square and tell everybody what they've done."

"Something tells me keeping them jailed will be more for their safety than to punish them. Now about this one, what now?"

Romeo looked at the dead cultist and frowned.

"I heard there were some sharks around …"

In the end, they didn't drop the cultists on the plaza. They still reported the event to the mayor who instantly sent a team to erase the markings and took measures to prevent incidents like this from repeating. Those measures included placing cameras in the Bay to watch for any cultist activity, but also in case other Jaegers may return. Several citizens entered the police force under Romeo to help him if the cultists were to manifest again and even Gipsy took a part-time job in the business. Then word came that a Kaiju had emerged and was heading their way. Ronin swore it was no coincidence that, the day the Kaiju was to make landfall around Sunset Beach, the BuenaKai made a raid on the school he was teaching in.

As usual, the Jaeger was teaching Japanese language to a group of elementary students. Hinata was playing outside with other kids when they struck. They were a dozen, armed with guns, poles and knives. When the supervisor came to ask for their business, they simply shot him and rounded the kids. Then they entered the building and proceeded to kill any adult while gathering the children. Needless to say at least some of the teachers reacted. When she first heard gunfire, Ms. Kowalski hurried her students by the emergency exit and watched them scatter in the park behind the school. Unless the cultists had acted cleverly and surrounded the whole school instead of barging by the front door, which seemed to be their plan, her children would be able to escape. When the cultists saw no one in the room but her, they shot her. She died a devilish grin on her face. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Pembroke were working in neighboring classes. As soon as they heard guns, they gathered every student in Mr. Johnson's room, blockaded the doors and while Mr. Johnson took his shotgun, Mr. Pembroke took two pistols. When a handful of cultists managed to break by the main door, they filled the believers with lead.

"Third time the school I work in is attacked." Mr. Pembroke explained. "Gotta be ready for everything."

"I knew it was a good idea to keep that shotgun around." Mr. Johnson grinned.

Ronin had a different idea. First, he blocked every door in the room with tables, chairs and even the bookshelf and his own teacher desk. Then, after asking a kid to watch the window for cultists, he had his students evacuate to the park. The main door started to bulge under the cultists' repeated assaults.

"Not on my watch, _kuso ttare_."

His blade emerged from his skin. As soon as every student was out, he jumped after them and guided them to the park where they gathered with Ms. Kowalski's students. The children were rightfully panicked. Ms. Raines appeared, a group of kids with her.

"What happened? We've just returned from a trip in the woods. Why are you there?"

"Cultists." Ronin explained. "They hit the school."

The teacher gasped.

"Heaven! I am calling the police right away!"

"Best if I do it myself, if you don't mind. Romeo and I are like brothers. His reaction will be better if I tell him."

"What do you imply by 'better'?"

The Jaeger's eyes narrowed.

"They kidnapped Hinata, and to what I've seen when they gathered the children, they also have Cassidy and Elisa. Gipsy should be with Romeo as I speak. She will _not_ be happy."

Ms. Raines knew about the Jaegers' identity. Only tourists and passer bys didn't know them. When he heard what happened, Romeo gathered every men he could find and rushed at the school. The cultists were already gone, having stuffed the children into vans, but several people had seen them head to their temple at Trespasser's remains. Gipsy was fuming.

"Trespasser's remains? Alright, here I come."

"You don't plan on going alone, do you!?" Horizon gasped. "They are at least fifty, armed with guns, knives and all kinds of weapons …"

"And I am a 260 feet tall war machine whose children have been kidnapped by fanatics. I want my children back and I _will_ get them, cultists or not."

"You're not going alone." Romeo frowned. "The BuenaKai just made a terrorist act by attacking this school. It is my job to go after them. You can tag along if you want but …"

"I agree with her." Ronin coldly said. "Hinata is among their victims. I swore I'd protect her and I intend to make good on my word."

At the same moment, an alarm blared. Everyone present gasped.

"Kaiju!"

The four Jaegers turned to the sea. A Kaiju was coming, and only Jaegers were powerful enough to stop it. Gipsy turned to Romeo Blue.

"Casanova, you and Horizon Brave hold that thing off. Ronin and I are retrieving the kids. This isn't up to negotiation."

Romeo knew he couldn't change her mind. While the citizens started evacuating Sunset Beach, a small group jumped into cars and followed the two Jaegers to the temple. At the same time, Romeo Blue and Horizon Brave had taken their mechanical form and were heading to Oblivion Bay to stop the Kaiju.

"Any information on the monster?" Horizon asked.

"None, and I'd say it doesn't matter. At worst, we'll hold it until Gip and Ronin are done with the rescue and can lend us a hand."

Horizon's metal frame shivered.

"I don't like it."

"I didn't take you for the cowardly kind."

"Romeo, those things already killed me once. I don't know why or how I returned and, frankly speaking, I don't want to try my luck by facing an other obliteration."

He had a point. When he saw the Kaiju emerge from the sea, Romeo decided he was right. The monster had a triangular head with ram-like horns, a hulking frame with a pair of thick legs, two muscular arms with dulled, hoof-like claws and a pair of smaller, thinner arms with sharp claws. Its back was slightly armored, but Romeo had seen thicker.

"Wonder what name they'll give it …"

"Shut up and fire!"

The blue Jaeger readied his Gatling guns and obliged. At the same time, two superfast motorcycles and four cars filled with people – mainly parents – armed to the teeth were speeding on the highway toward Trespasser's remains. It was a few miles away from the place where Romeo and Horizon were battling the Kaiju and they could hear the fight as they reached the place's entrance. Indeed, the church had been built using the bones as a frame. Ronin stepped aside and bowed to Gipsy.

"Ladies first."

Digging her pole in the ground, Gipsy charged both hands with energy and blasted the doors open. The cultists jumped at the noise. They hurried away when they saw the two Jaegers and the dozen of people with them.

"Knock, knock."

The cultists instantly took their weapons and ran at the group. The first wave was mowed by gunfire. Ronin turned to Gipsy.

"You're free to use your casters, if you want."

"I tried in Oblivion Bay. The results are … messy. Think Bladedge's remains in red."

"I thought you wanted your kids back …"

Point taken. Putting her pole aside, the girl started firing, taking three to four cultists in one blast. Indeed, it wasn't a pretty sight. But she didn't feel remorse. Those people had captured her children and were now standing between them and her. They had it coming. Ronin's elbow blades were drawn and he seemed twitchy. Gipsy sensed it so she showed him the aisles and took her pole. The Japanese Jaeger nodded, understanding what she planned to do. While the angry parents and citizens were fighting the cultists, the duo snuck by the sides all the way to the altar, which spotted a statue of Trespasser. Ronin turned to his friend and nodded. Gipsy grinned. One caster shot later, the thing was in pieces. There were four doors behind the altar. The first one led to an empty chapel. The other showed stairs leading to the upper level. The two hesitated before checking the other doors. The third one led to what turned to be the head cultist's private quarters.

"I'll check it. You check the last door." Ronin decided.

Gipsy agreed and pushed the door. It led to a cave that turned to be the BuenaKai's storage room. Weapons, riches, tools and the likes were carefully kept in distinct areas. The girl grinned.

"Nice loot. But it doesn't tell me where my kids are."

She left the place and met with Ronin.

"So?"

"The quarters were empty. What about you?"

"I found the treasure room. We try the next level?"

"Right behind you."

The two climbed the stairs, smiling when they saw the angry Quakers had gotten the upper hand on the cultists.

"What did Brave say about them already?"

Gipsy grinned.

"They may be nice people who hate lies and violence, but push them too far and here come the big guns."

"Close enough. Let's go."

They reached the upper level to find both the cultists' quarters and the children held in several cages. Given they had a holding ring and some cages had chains on them, there was no guess what the BuenaKai wanted to do with them.

"Not a chance. Ever. I'd rather be sent a second time to Oblivion Bay than see fanatics sacrifice children to a Kaiju."

"Understand." A cultist said. "The Kaijus are sent by God to devour our bodies and purge our souls from sin. Those children are young and pure. We are sending them to God's messengers before this world corrupts them too much."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Ronin decided.

Gipsy crossed her arms.

"Do you honestly believe that we, _Jaegers_, are going to believe this crap? We kick those horrors' ass for a living, and now you tell us you plan on offering _my_ kids and _his_ students to the same monsters we've spent years hunting? You guys don't have a freaking mind."

The duo turned into a whirlwind of blood-soaked steel, Ronin's blades hacking and slashing while Gipsy's pole was breaking bones and piercing flesh. The children turned away from the spectacle, most of them horrified by the display of violence. The duo didn't care. They were angry, verily so. Those people had kidnapped children as sacrifice for a monster and, even worse, taken Hinata, Cassidy and Elisa along. Now they were standing between the children and their parents. They didn't stand a chance.

When the last cultist fell, beheaded by Ronin, the two went to the cages. The Japanese Jaeger didn't bother with the keys and cut the locks open with his blades. Soon, the children were out. Hinata hugged her father tight.

"I knew Daddy would come! I told them!"

"I will always come for you, Hina-_chan_. Always."

Gipsy was also holding Cassidy.

"You're safe! But where's your sister?"

"He took her." The boy lowered his head. "The head priest. Somehow, he knew you are Gipsy Danger and how we are your children. When you attacked, he took Elisa and went on the roof. He's waiting, Mom."

Gipsy slowly turned to the stairs leading to the roof of the church.

"Let's not make him wait too long, then. Ronin, you take care of the kids. _And_ Cassidy. I'm going to retrieve my daughter."

Ronin slowly nodded, understanding how serious the female Jaeger was. She never entrusted her children to anyone, not even Romeo or himself unless she had no other option. Taking the boy's hand, he guided the children to the lower level. Whatever his reasons, the priest had made a deadly mistake.

Gipsy ran up the stairs and on the spine that served as support of the whole framework. Elisa was here, her wrists bound by leather, waiting at the end of the spine at the head cultist's side.

"Mommy!"

"Little One!"

The cultist stepped before the girl. Gipsy gave him a murderous glare.

"Give. Her. _Back_."

"Gipsy Danger …" The man whispered as he drew a short blade from its sheath. "You false prophet will never lay a finger on this innocent child. She will be given to the Kaiju who will purify her by devouring her. And there will be nothing you could do."

Gipsy snarled.

"I am Elisa's mother. I don't care why you did something as stupid as kidnapping her and I don't give a fuck about it. Just _**give me back my daughter!**_"

She ran at him like a woman possessed, her blows a hurricane that slowly pushed the man back. Elisa stepped aside and snuck to watch from afar. Blow for blow, move or move, the cultist matched Gipsy's seething fury with cold determination, parrying every move with his sheath and even landing some strikes on her arms and sides. Gipsy didn't care.

"It is useless. Soon, the Kaiju will have torn your friends apart and he will devour you as well. This rampage or yours is meaningless. Accept your fate and face annihilation as …"

"_**Shut the hell up!**_"

He was right, though. Romeo Blue had soon noticed his guns barely scratched the Kaiju that was answering blow for blow to his punches. The moment Horizon Brave had tried his cryo cannons, the monster had taken the blow with his armored back and rammed into them, rendering them inefficient. So now the two were stuck pummeling an enemy with punches and getting their frames kicked in return.

"I hope Gipsy and Ronin are done." Horizon growled. "Because I don't think we can finish this bastard alone."

A giant arrow suddenly struck the monster in the throat. The two turned to see a white and gold Jaeger that looked a lot like Striker Eureka but was wielding, surprisingly enough, a Jaeger-sized bow and a matching quiver. The Kaiju used his smaller arms to remove the arrow and turned to the newcomer. The Jaeger simply notched an other arrow that struck the monster's open mouth. Finally, a sharp blade appeared under his elbow. Seizing the Kaiju by the horns, he plunged it in its skull and tore its throat open. At last, the monster stopped moving. The Jaeger turned to the two mechas.

"You guys are alright?"

It took Horizon a moment to recognize his savior.

"Angel Storm!?"

Atop Trespasser's corpse, Gipsy was still fighting the cultist. The man's blade struck her left arm.

"Enough is enough …" The girl growled. "You die here!"

Ducking under a swipe, she seized her pole with both hands and plunged it in the man's heart. The cultist gasped in shock and pain. Before he could raise his hands, Gipsy had removed her pole and kicked his body into the empty abyss below. Elisa cheered.

"Mommy!"

Soon, mother and daughter were hugging tight.

"You're safe …"

The Jaeger caught sight of Ronin, who was holding Hinata and Cassidy's hands. Seeing her looking at him, the Japanese Jaeger shrugged.

"I was worried."

"Really?"

"Well … Just a little. I can?"

Gipsy laughed wholeheartedly.

"Let's go home."

On the temple's pavement, the adults had been reunited with the children. Some parents were crying as they held their son or daughter while others were comforting them, telling the frightened kids the nightmare was over. It was a happy sight. While most of the cultists were dead, none among the rescue team had died. Some people still spotted injuries here and there, but nothing serious. When Gipsy and Ronin emerged from the entrance, people didn't care they were covered with blood. The only thing that mattered was that three children were holding their hands and none of them had a scratch. Romeo and Horizon finally arrived, accompanied by a man with platinum hairs and a brown-haired woman with a bow.

"Damn, we missed the party."

"Amelia, we already killed that Kaiju. What else do you need?"

"_You_ killed the Kaiju. I just stood aside because you refused I drive you."

"You're due in three months. No way I'm leaving anything happen to you and our son."

"Killjoy!"

Romeo stretched.

"Personally, I don't complain. Fighting that thing off was tiresome enough as it is. Glad to see Ronin and Gip took care of the cultists, but what took them so long!? If Angel hadn't come in time …"

"The head cultist had taken Elisa away." Ronin explained. "He was surprisingly competent for a cultist. Must be why he's leading them."

"Was." Gipsy coldly said. "The bastard is dead. Speared in the heart. Serves him right."

Horizon winced.

"Remind me to never step between a Jaeger and his child. The deadliest predator on Earth isn't a Kaiju."

Amelia laughed.

"I agree, with the note that it also applies to loved ones. I swear Angel's a bit overbearing at times, but given what happened at Lima and afterward …"

Gipsy looked at the two.

"So, I get it you are Amelia Tanner and Angel Storm."

"Right. Nice to see some of us returned. So … Gipsy Danger, Tacit Ronin, Romeo Blue and Horizon Brave. Are you the only ones?"

"So far, yes. The most recently awakened is Brave. You … You were aware during Lima."

"I was aware before that. About two years ago, no long after Amelia started driving me. It's a little long to explain. I gained the ability to shape-shift several days after the Seattle Disaster. What about you?"

"I'm still the oldest, then. I awoke as a human three days before Seattle. Aware? Anchorage. Yancy's disappearance gave me consciousness."

Amelia winced. Then she looked at the church and cringed.

"You guys did a bloodshed. What did those suckers do to earn your wrath?"

"Kidnap our kids. As Horizon said, it's never wise to stand between a Jaeger and his kids."

Gipsy looked at Cassidy and Elisa.

"Let's go home and clean. The day was long and the two of you have some explanation to give."

The others wholeheartedly agreed.

* * *

><p><strong>And here is the next chapter. I wanted to wait until another author updated his story but it's been long enough already and the eighth chapter's ongoing. So, here we have it. After the Seattle Disaster, the Trespasser Massacre. Never mess with a Jaeger's family. It's not good for health. And my first OC Jaeger appears so here is the data:<strong>

**Angel Storm**: originally created on behalf of the Filipino government, everyone was surprised when Amelia managed to pilot it singlehandedly. They were hardly used during the war, and only as last resort until Gabriel Morrison was appointed as Amelia's copilot. White and gold and outfited with a retractile blade, its emblem is three rings with a pair of wings. His schematics were used to create Striker Eureka. He and Amelia went AWOL during Lima, after the Kaiju killed Gabriel in his conn-pod. When he reappears during the Trespasser Massacre, he is now armed with a makeshift bow ... and sentient.

**More information is delivered in the next chapter, Twilight Wings. So, did you like that chapter?**

**- buddy: what do you mean "that kind of stuff"? Jaegers are human now. They have to learn to act as such.**

**- Pyro: I understand, that's why I make chapters in advance. And yeah, the cultists made a nasty discovery about our friends the hard way.**

**See you soon!**


	7. Twilight wings

**Twilight wings**

David was more than happy to heal the wounds of the two Jaeger parents. Romeo had to admit Gipsy was hot with bandages.

"It gives her a certain charm I am rather sensible to. No, seriously, she's gorgeous."

"She sure is pretty." Angel grinned. "Still too fierce for my taste, though. I feel the guy who can handle her will need balls of steel because she looks like a real piece of work."

"Titanium." Ronin corrected. "That's what her chest is made of."

"Tacit! I thought you were above those things! Seriously, there are days I think I'm the only adult of the building …"

The whole room howled and hooted. It was kind of a running joke usually shared between Romeo and Ronin. David also checked Amelia's condition. So far, everything was fine.

"I didn't think human-Jaeger relationships were possible. Makes me wonder how the kid will turn out."

"Amelia already had a thing for me when I was a Jaeger. There's a reason this little dear was conceived no long after I turned human."

Since Gipsy and Ronin already had children, they offered the couple to settle in their building. They chose the first floor to accommodate Amelia's condition. Now came the time to find a job. Angel protested a little that, as a Jaeger, he should receive monthly pays for taking down Kaijus, to which Romeo retorted it only worked when he was mechanical. As a human, he needed to find a human job. And, given his accuracy with a bow, why not join him as a cop? After the incident with the cult, Sunset Beach was on the edge. Knowing the Jaegers protected them as humans and as machines made everyone sleep tighter. Angel accepted, which led to the second issue: the ride. One week before Christmas, they went to the old dealership with their new friend who was awed by the collection. His choice was a Harley-Davidson V-Rod they painted white and gold and decorated with his decal, three rings surrounded by a pair of wings. Ronin smiled.

"I thought he'd choose a car since he has a family."

"You and Gip have children and you still ride a bike!"

"Actually, Gipsy also has a Land Rover with a trailer. It was her home before we settled in Sunset Beach. We use it when we want to travel all together."

Eventually, on Christmas Eve, the group asked one another to tell about themselves, about their lives before the turnabout pulled by the Kaijus. Ronin remembered he became aware during his pilots' last moments. Their last thought had been of regret, the regret to have been unable to spend more time with their daughter and how much they loved her. This love was imprinted in his personality and, after his return, became his main drive to find the girl and raise her as her parents would have done. Romeo recalled his funniest memory wasn't one of his but his pilots: them dancing the Macarena right outside the Los Angeles Shatterdome. Pentecost's reaction had been priceless and he would have gladly handed the twins several demerits if it was possible. When asked to do it again, the blue Jaeger gladly obliged.

"Bruce, Trevin, this one is for you."

The flashy lights lit up, the music started and the Jaeger danced. Everybody cheered.

"To our pilots!" Gipsy toasted reverentially.

"To our pilots, dead and alive." Angel smiled.

Like every Jaeger in the room, he had lost one of his pilots. Like Gipsy and unlike Horizon, Romeo and Ronin, he still had the other. Horizon looked at his glass.

"I wonder what Lo Hin Shen and Xichi Po would say if they saw me working as a cook. I mean, none of them were really interested in cooking, so I wonder how it is I'm so good at making dishes."

"Our personalities aren't fully defined by our pilots." Gipsy sipped her glass. "There are parts of them in us, and there's the part that is truly, genuinely us. We aren't our pilots, we're ourselves. Take me, for instance. Raleigh and Yancy were estranged with their family, and yet I barely knew Cassidy and Elisa that I was already facing a Kaiju in human form to defend them!"

"True, but being protective toward his loved ones seems to be a common Jaeger trait."

Romeo turned to the two.

"I remember Bruce and Trevin meeting with you two. According to them, Amelia was very shy at the time. What happened?"

Angel crossed his arms.

"It's a long story. Do we have the night?"

"All of it."

"Let's get started, then. And hold on because it's going to be a bumpy ride."

Amelia caressed her stomach.

"My story with Angel is related to a major discovery in both Jaeger and Pons technology. Have any of you heard of Synchronicity?"

"Not really." Horizon shook his head.

Angel explained.

"Synchronicity determines the level of compatibility not between two persons but between a person and a Jaeger. The more someone is synchro with a Jaeger, the heavier the neural load he can support. You all know we need two pilots because of the strain it puts on human minds. Two minds are usually what it takes to pilot us, because otherwise a human mind will break having to handle a giant and complex 200 feet mecha."

"And?"

Angel smiled.

"As I said, a pilot that is highly synchro with his Jaeger can support a lot of neural load. Not all of it but, in the highest cases, 80-87 %. Most pilots are roughly 50-60% synchro with their Jaeger, that's the percentage of neural load they can withstand. The reason Raleigh was able to pilot you wasn't simply due to the fact you were aware. It's also because, between him and his brother, he was the most synchro with you. How much, I have no idea. It also explains why Pentecost was able to pilot Coyote Tango in Tokyo."

"How much synchronicity is required to pilot us solo?" Romeo asked.

"At the very least 95 %." Amelia answered. "According to Dr. Lightcap, Pentecost is estimated to have been around 96 % in Tokyo. And yes, it varies. As for Raleigh, she got his results two days before Lima."

"What were they?" Gipsy whispered.

"98 %. In average. According to her, it means that, in full health with you intact, he would have been able to pilot you solo for twelve hours. The two of you took exactly that long to reach the shore, and you were both half-dead."

"So … me being aware did help him."

"It saved his life."

"What about you and Amelia?" Ronin asked. "How did you help discover Synchronicity?"

"By doing something completely suicidal." Amelia chuckled. "Angel was built by the time I was in the Academy. My class was working on the second cut so we knew Angel wasn't for us. And yet, I loved nothing more than to pay him a visit. Talk to him. Sometimes I would fall asleep on his foot. On the other hand, I couldn't manage to find a partner I was fully drift-compatible with. I wouldn't pass the cut … So, one day, I worked a few favors among some friends and I managed to find a suit, dress up and connect with Angel. All I wanted was drifting with him for a moment, just to have the feel of being in control of a Jaeger … Yes, I know, doing it alone was royally insane. But I was more than a fair bit suicidal, back then. I had barely survived a Kaiju attack that I believed killed most of my family, and even before that, my parents had been very abusive with me, mainly verbally. I had nothing left. So I drifted, connected with him … And felt absolutely nothing wrong. I was in control, fully and with no drawback. Needless to say I was busted the moment I made him move. But it just felt so right, as if I had a second skin on me …"

"How much is she synchro with you?" Horizon asked Angel.

The blonde Jaeger grinned.

"100 % all the time."

Amelia smiled.

"Yep, a hundred percent. I can pilot Angel alone with no limit but that of my physical stamina, and unlike other pilots, this stat doesn't vary. Anyway, back when I first did that, I was like in a dream. I chose to go outside so they tried to close the exit. I slipped before it was too late and went in the sea. I could feel the waves physically, it was incredible. Then I started toying with the retractile blade. And the sea left."

Angel chuckled.

"You guys ever heard of the Wave-Cutting Incident?" Collective shake. "When Amelia understood a tsunami was coming, she went before the Shatterdome and cut the bloody thing in two! Supposedly, it was because fighting Kaijus are like fighting natural disasters and since there was no Kaiju around, she opted for a real disaster instead. Dr. Lightcap was nearly hysterical during the event. Lots of people were angry, a certain number was curious and Amelia clearly told Pentecost he could do whatever he wanted with her, even court-martial her for all she cared, she would die happy. Instead, Doc decided to keep us for study and made Amelia my pilot. We couldn't leave the Sydney Shatterdome due to the ruckus the reveal of a solo-controlled Jaeger would cause, so we didn't fight Kaijus that much. It became easier after Hercules Hansen was appointed to me. He and Amelia were only so-so in terms of drift-compatibility, but it was still enough to make their teaming believable. And Amelia seemed to see him as a surrogate father, so at least, they got along. Herc only stayed with us until Striker Eureka was ready. I know they used my schematics to build him. Of course, technically-speaking, they really improved. I got a new second pilot, Gabriel Morrison, we did a few missions the three of us … and then Lima happened, Gaby died and I fled." His eyes fell on Horizon. "Sorry I abandoned you guys, but I was dead-scared about Amelia."

Horizon looked at his hands.

"Of the eight Jaegers that were destroyed that year, four were Mark Is. The Kaijus are getting stronger, we're getting out of date … I saw the Seattle Disaster and what people said about it. Chuck Hansen said we're useless and I'm tempted to believe him. Without your intervention, Ramjammer would've killed both Romeo and I."

"You got adequacy issues." Romeo remarked.

"I'm just stating facts. You know I'm right, Romeo. We Mark Is are barely more than cannon fodder these days. I think that's why I like my human life so much. No Kaiju to fight, I can do something I'm good at and love doing …"

Gipsy was silent. The little discussion had given her food for thoughts. She and Amelia went to sleep early, after making sure everyone's presents were by the tree. The next morning, she awoke before everyone and decided to go for a ride. She stopped dead in her track when she saw the license plate on the back of her bike.

"Okay. Who's the *%$^# who changed it!?"

Out of question that she went in town with that. So, instead, she went to sip coffee in the common kitchen, patiently waiting for the males that would soon check on their presents. She grabbed the first two who showed up, namely Romeo Blue and Horizon Brave, and showed them the plate.

"Who did _that_!?"

Romeo had a sheepish smile.

"You don't like it?"

The original random-coded plate was now N1 JGMOM. Gipsy glared daggers at the blonde.

"Romeo, if you value your crown jewels, I suggest you explain what's the meaning of this."

"In case you haven't noticed, everyone has one."

And indeed, every ride spotted a customized plate. Horizon grinned.

"We thought it would make for a cool Christmas present. You don't like yours?"

Gipsy's eyes fell on Ronin's plate, NJDAD.

"Only because he has the same. I hope no one will understand what it stands for."

"Hey!" Romeo retorted. "You're the one who ransacked a cultist church because they kidnapped your kids! You're _the_ No1 Jaeger Mom and you earned that title in battle!"

"And Ronin is Hinata's Ninja Daddy."

Romeo's Alpha Romeo had BLUL0VR (Blue Lover), Horizon's Corvette had N1 MRCHF (No1 Master Chef) and Angel's Harley-Davidson had ARROW. Somebody, several in fact, had taken their fun. And the people of Sunset Beach seemed to like them if their smiles were anything to come by when the group went in town. The day before New Year's Eve, Angel gathered the group in the common living room.

"Hey, I've thought about something we could do to celebrate New Year. I mean, the people of Sunset Beach are really kind to let us live with them and protect us. So how about we give them a reward of sorts? A very cool one …"

"What do you have in mind?" Ronin asked.

Angel grinned and whispered his plan to everyone's ears. Horizon's eyes widened.

"That's crazy!"

"Crazy and awesome." Gipsy grinned. "I'm in."

Romeo said nothing and turned to Ronin who nodded.

"Interesting. I don't know the steps, though."

"Don't worry, we have all the night to teach you. So, Romeo?"

The Jaeger officer smiled.

"I will bow to the voice of the majority. Let's dance!"

For New Year, Horizon decided to give the whole town a present and used his powers to create a giant rink on the main square. Sure, there was already a smaller rink by the beach but this one was much bigger, so skates were fetched and people gladly gathered to swing on the ice. Some others, like Romeo, had never skated in their lives. Gipsy had through her pilots, so dancing on the ice wasn't an issue. Then she saw the blonde colossus frog-paddling on his stomach with an expression of complete bore. She turned to Ronin.

"How many falls?"

"Five. In three minutes. He just can't stand straight on his skates."

"Given his size, I'm not surprised."

"What surprises me …" Angel observed. "Is that he agreed to try ice-skating to start with. Amelia, I said no! I don't want you to fall and it ends up hurting the baby."

"But it will be fine! With Gipsy and Brave to help me, I don't see how anything bad could happen."

"Well, I do and I won't let you –"

*_**WHACK**_*

Amelia turned to Gipsy and held her hand.

"Give me a pair, will you?"

American and Chinese Jaegers looked at one another. Horizon burst into giggles the next second while Gipsy gave the pregnant ranger a pair of skates. Ronin looked at the hand mark on Angel's cheek.

"…Nice."

Angel was miffed, but he still watched his loved one skate uneasily with Gipsy and Horizon.

"Can't help it. The baby's dragging me forward. I won't make a move without a fence or some railing."

"At least you can stand on your feet, unlike the other Casanova."

Romeo gave the trio a look of kicked puppy.

Night fell, and with it came the time for the group to pull their plan in motion. People had gathered on the main square when the light turned off. Then the projos turned to a sight near the outskirts of the town.

_If it hadn't been for Cotton-Eyes Joe,  
>I'd be married a long time ago.<br>Where did you come from, where did you go?  
>Where did you come from, Cotton-Eyed Joe?<em>

The people turned as a white light illuminated the night. Then, to everyone's amazement, Gipsy Danger, Romeo Blue, Tacit Ronin, Horizon Brave and Angel Storm started dancing the Madison in Jaeger form. People instantly cheered. Fortunately for Romeo and Horizon, the Madison was a line dance and didn't requite complicated or acrobatic moves like break-dancing. The Jaegers moved in rhythm, stepping together as if they were Drifting. It was just intense rehearsal from the previous night. And people loved it. The song ended and all five mechas bowed before the crowd. The mayor came in front of the crowd.

"That was an amazing sight. Thank you for this show. I speak for everyone when I say this was definitely the highlight of the festivities."

"Anytime. Actually, it was kind of a rite of passage for rangers to make us dance before our first confrontation."

"Bruce and Trevin made me dance the Macarena." Romeo giggled. "And I remember Epsilon Black did the haka taparahi instead of traditional dancing. One of his pilots was a New Zealand maori."

"The Macarena?" Matthew grinned. "That can be arranged."

A familiar tune started playing. The five Jaegers looked at one another.

"Let's do this."

"We're going to make a mini-earthquake."

So they danced once again. The crowd loved it. Many TVs were blaring their program and the New Year celebrations. Then the news changed.

"We are speaking from Kagoshima, on the Japanese island of Kyushu. We finally got word of the results of the gruesome battle between the Mark II Jaeger Omega Ryu and the Category IV Kaiju Ushitora. We thus have the misfortune to declare Omega Ryu Killed In Action, torn apart by the Kaiju who then headed toward the Kagoshima Prefecture. However, it seems Omega Ryu didn't go down without a fight as Ushitora eventually died of its wounds a few miles south of the island."

The whole crowd was silent after that. Even the Jaegers in human form remained motionless for a minute. Then a man weakly said.

"We were celebrating New Year and, on the other side of the Pacific, they were watching a Jaeger fall."

Suddenly, no one was in the mood to party. Music was shut, the lights faded one by one, several people started to pack. In the truest and purest Quaker tradition, people gathered on the various squares of Sunset Beach to sing an elegy for the fallen crew and pray for Akuma and Sianan Bakura, Omega Ryu's pilots. They prayed for the Jaeger too, and Gipsy and the others joined them out of respect for their comrade. The Mark II was dropped in Oblivion Bay by the beginning of February. Matador Fury was destroyed at Tijuana two weeks later. Two Jaegers in two months, it was understandable that Gipsy felt down. So she went to Oblivion Bay and stood by each Jaeger's side, humming a mournful song as she did.

"The Kaijus are getting stronger. We fall more often and aren't being replaced. The UN prefers to invest in the coastal wall rather than in us, under the pretext it is more efficient and the Kaijus have yet to attack the wall. Liars! They just think we cost too much! If only they knew! If only they knew we exist as individuals, that we are sentient and as human as they are, they wouldn't treat us with so much disdain and disrespect!" Her head fell backward and she screamed at the sky. "We are human! We are human and we are Jaeger! We are both man and machine! This is what we are, and a Kaiju on he who denies! Do you hear me? We are Jaegers, we are human _and_ machine! We think, we feel, we are as much as you are. I dare you to disagree!"

She was screaming at everyone and no one in particular. The simple ambiguity of her existence as a shape-shifting robot was just wearing heavily on her at the moment. In the end, she fell on her knees and cried against Coyote Tango's frame. An idea formed into her mind she deemed interesting, so she quickly left the rust yard and returned a few hours later with colored candles on which were engraved the symbols of each fallen Jaegers. Coyote Tango's white candle had a howling wolf head she placed on the remains of his mortar canons. Lucky Seven also had a white candle with a winged 7. It was placed on her shoulder. Chrome Brutus's grey candle had victory laurels circling a balled fist. She set it fittingly enough on its hand. Epsilon Black had a black candle on which was its emblem, the clan emblem of his pilot, Nanaia Riunui. It was set on an edge of its conn-pod. Omega Ryu had a red candle with intertwined Asian dragons. Gipsy set it on its chest plate. Finally, Matador Fury had a pale green candle with a smoking bull head. On its fist it went. Gipsy took a step back and smiled at her work.

"Due to the dead. Rest in peace, my friends."

"_Feeling better?_" Her phone spoke. Gipsy took it.

"I thought you were patrolling, Casanova."

"_I went back an hour ago. It's nice, what you did._"

"We don't know if they were sentient or not. In any case, since the PPDC has decided to make this place our graveyard, even if it's a derelict one, better treat it as such."

Romeo grinned. He was watching the scene from the micro-cameras set to watch over Oblivion Bay.

"By the way, Angel called. Amelia went into labor. We're finally going to see how's the child of a human and a Jaeger."

Gipsy's eyes widened.

"Isn't that a month too early?"

"_Nah, only two week at best. Gip, it's the first time one of us has a child, Angel and Amelia's baby may not be a hundred percent Jaeger but it still counts for something. Even with David's help, there's a lot we don't know about our physiology as humans. Maybe it's normal that we have children earlier and in fact, compared to one of us, Amelia's having hers late because it's a hybrid._"

It was an option. The girl returned to Sunset Beach and headed to the hospital. She found all four Jaegers waiting by the door, Angel pacing back and forth and at an inch of wrecking his nerves. They could hear Amelia's growls and screams from the room. Angel danced on his feet.

"It's more stressful than fighting a Kaiju! Gah, somebody helps me! I want to do something to help her …"

"Let the nurses do it." Ronin calmed him. "They know their job and how important your child is. You just hold on and remember who's wearing the pants in your household."

"That's not it! I can feel her in my head. Her pain … She's suffering so much!"

"Then sit, focus and try to send her comforting thoughts. Amelia's strong. She can endure this trial."

Indeed, despite being a simple human, it was Amelia who made the rules in the Tanner household. Yes, Angel Storm was a shapeshifting robot. But as a human, Amelia was much tougher. Angel knew why and never told about it. Finally, after four gruesome hours, the nurse opened the door and smiled.

"Congratulation. This is a healthy little boy."

Angel thought he would faint.

"And … what about the mother?"

"She's fine. The delivery only _felt_ painful. The damage caused will fade in two weeks at best. Your precious wife is as healthy as your son."

This time, Angel fell on his knees.

"Much, so much worse than fighting a Kaiju …"

He finally entered the room to see Amelia holding a bundle of tissue in her arms. When he approached, a head with amber eyes and a wet mop of platinum hairs emerged from the tissue. The baby grinned.

"He's so cute!"

It was obvious the Jaeger was a puddle of mush at the moment. Amelia caressed her son, her own amber eyes gently watching over him.

"We have to name him."

"Leo." Angel answered. "Our little lion."

"Little Leo it is, then. I like that name."

The boy looked like any other baby and no one had the heart to try experiment on him to see how he was different from them. That and they felt in their gut that the simple suggestion would send all five Jaegers in a blood-curling fury. They didn't need that. Angel spent most of his free time at Amelia's side until she was released one week later. Watching the boy made Gipsy feel strange inside. It was the same thing she felt around Cassidy and Elisa, that gut feeling that made her glare at anything she felt was a threat to her children, only weaker. And Angel looked much worse. She was talking about it at the Western Dragon with an elder woman, a teacher who was also Ronin's colleague.

"I still don't know what got me. As a Jaeger, it's only normal that I fight a Kaiju but why seeing Cassidy and Elisa in trouble makes me so brutal? First in Seattle, then at Trespasser's remains … Always, it's that same feeling of pulling in my chest, like a fear but primal and wild. And sometimes, I feel it toward other children like Angel and Amelia's son. I think Ronin feels the same toward Hinata and Angel actually _is_ like that toward Leo."

The woman chuckled and closed her eyes.

_When the Himalayan peasant meets the he-bear in his pride,  
>He shouts to scare the monster, who will often turn aside.<br>But the she-bear thus accosted rends the peasant tooth and nail.  
>For the female of the species is more deadly than the male. <em>

_When Nag the basking cobra hears the careless foot of man,  
>He will sometimes wriggle sideways and avoid it if he can.<br>But his mate makes no such motion where she camps beside the trail.  
>For the female of the species is more deadly than the male. <em>

_When the early Jesuit fathers preached to Hurons and Choctaws,  
>They prayed to be delivered from the vengeance of the squaws.<br>'Twas the women, not the warriors, turned those stark enthusiasts pale.  
>For the female of the species is more deadly than the male. <em>

_Man's timid heart is bursting with the things he must not say,  
>For the Woman that God gave him isn't his to give away;<br>But when hunter meets with husbands, each confirms the other's tale—  
>The female of the species is more deadly than the male. <em>

_Man, a bear in most relations—worm and savage otherwise, —  
>Man propounds negotiations, Man accepts the compromise.<br>Very rarely will he squarely push the logic of a fact  
>To its ultimate conclusion in unmitigated act. <em>

_Fear, or foolishness, impels him, ere he lay the wicked low,  
>To concede some form of trial even to his fiercest foe.<br>Mirth obscene diverts his anger—Doubt and Pity oft perplex  
>Him in dealing with an issue—to the scandal of The Sex! <em>

_But the Woman that God gave him, every fibre of her frame  
>Proves her launched for one sole issue, armed and engined for the same;<br>And to serve that single issue, lest the generations fail,  
>The female of the species must be deadlier than the male. <em>

_She who faces Death by torture for each life beneath her breast  
>May not deal in doubt or pity—must not swerve for fact or jest.<br>These be purely male diversions—not in these her honour dwells—  
>She the Other Law we live by, is that Law and nothing else. <em>

_She can bring no more to living than the powers that make her great  
>As the Mother of the Infant and the Mistress of the Mate.<br>And when Babe and Man are lacking and she strides unclaimed to claim  
>Her right as femme (and baron), her equipment is the same. <em>

_She is wedded to convictions—in default of grosser ties;  
>Her contentions are her children, Heaven help him who denies!—<br>He will meet no suave discussion, but the instant, white-hot, wild,  
>Wakened female of the species warring as for spouse and child. <em>

_Unprovoked and awful charges—even so the she-bear fights,  
>Speech that drips, corrodes, and poisons—even so the cobra bites,<br>Scientific vivisection of one nerve till it is raw  
>And the victim writhes in anguish—like the Jesuit with the squaw! <em>

_So it comes that Man, the coward, when he gathers to confer  
>With his fellow-braves in council, dare not leave a place for her<br>Where, at war with Life and Conscience, he uplifts his erring hands  
>To some God of Abstract Justice—which no woman understands. <em>

_And Man knows it! Knows, moreover, that the Woman that God gave him  
>Must command but may not govern—shall enthral but not enslave him.<br>And __**She**__ knows, because __**She**__ warns him, and Her instincts never fail,  
>That the Female of Her Species is more deadly than the Male. <em>

Gipsy raised her brow.

"What is it?"

"The Female of the Species, by Rudyard Kipling. I taught literature at Cornell University. I have seen you behave with Cassidy and Elisa, as well as the Trespasser Massacre. I wasn't there because one of the cultists had shot me and I faked death but I got word of the event." Her eyes gleamed. "Parental instinct. This is what pushes you and your friends to be so mercilessly protective toward your children and so devoted to your family. This trait seems to be more prominent in your kind than in regular humans for some reasons. But trust me, it is a good trait to have. In fact, in a way, it makes you more human than we are because, for all their goodness, you still find parents that are neglectful or abusive of their youths. I feel you Jaegers would rather be torn apart a second time by Kaijus than let any harm befall on your loved ones."

"True that. So, parental instinct?"

The teacher nodded.

"Yes. The desire every parent has to protect his children at any cost. The reason we care so much for our kids. You said you first felt it in Seattle."

"Yes, when I faced Bladedge. Cassidy and Elisa weren't my children yet. In fact, I had only been with them for three days. And yet, when that Kaiju went after us, I took them and fled, and then I faced it as a human. I didn't know I could shift yet. It came during the fight."

The woman smiled broadly.

"A gift of Heaven. Few people would go so far for their children, much less for children that aren't their own. And yet you willingly faced a Kaiju for them. Those two are lucky to have you. It isn't surprising that you didn't know what parental instinct is since you originated as a machine. Did any of your pilots have a family?"

"None."

"Then your ignorance isn't surprising. What is is that you felt its urge so violently." The woman smiled. "Treasure it. As long as you follow this instinct, you can be sure Cassidy and Elisa will be safe and happy."

* * *

><p><strong>And here is the next chapter! So, what do we have? Synchronicity is something I completely made up, but the concept seemed nice. And the dancing Jaegers are a reference to Jocelyn's fanfic "Aurora Borealis", where an entire chapter is dedicated to pilots making their Jaegers dance. And Ramjammer is the name the medias gave to the Kaiju Romeo and Horizon fought in the previous chapter. Also, two Jaegers fall and our newly introduced Amelia and Angel Storm have their child. And yes, Amelia was in love with Angel before he was able to shift to human. Bring in the brain bleach ...<strong>

**And "The Female of the Species" totally describes female Jaegers. Seriously. And women married to Jaegers as Amelia can attest. Now ...**

**- Pyro & Tigerboltsniper: you read the poem. Pissing a female Jaeger or a Jaeger's wife in general is counted as suicide attempt in Sunset Beach. And males Jaegers may be more mellow, but remember it was Gipsy _and_ Ronin who initiated the Trespasser Massacre. Jaeger daddies can be as deadly as their wives when their kids are threatened. It doesn't help that, if Angel and Amelia are anything to come by, Jaegers share a latent Drift bond with their family ...**

**- Pyro: Raleigh won't appear before several chapters, but he will appear one day. I have other surprises in store before he does ...**

**One last thing ... Will you mind if I post the stories of the other rangers such as the pilots of Eden Assassin, Matador Fury and Epsilon Black as Omakes? I don't feel like making a sidestory for them.**

**See you soon!**


	8. To stand

**To stand**

Coyote Tango awoke one week after Leo was born. Romeo was the first to spot the child-like Jaeger walking through the remains of his fallen brethren, his eyes darting around as he tried to find his balance and leaned against Epsilon's plating. Gipsy and Angel decided to go and found the boy sitting, his head in his knees.

"Hey kid."

Coyote raised his head to see Angel's mid-back platinum hairs and azure eyes. Gipsy was at his side and spotting her most motherly face.

"I feel sick."

"We all do when we're reborn." Gipsy reassured. "It will go overtime. Can you walk?"

"Not really."

"Then we'll carry you. Hold on."

Coyote shivered.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To the doctor, so you can rest peacefully and see if you're healthy."

She took the boy in her arms and was surprised by how light he was. As a Jaeger, Coyote Tango was as tall as Cherno Alpha and quite heavy to boot. And yet, the boy in her arms had short grayish hairs and eyes, was unnaturally pale and light as a feather. Furthermore, the way he was cradled in her arms, she estimated his size to no more than four feet. He was wearing white pants, sneakers and a dirty sweater and his breathing was somewhat ragged. David confirmed it after several hours of testing.

"He has a weak form of heart failure, with tachycardia as a cause. Long thing short, his heart beats too fast due to a naturally high adrenaline rate. Do you know how a heart works?"

"Vaguely." Gipsy frowned. "I remember biology classes from my pilots …"

"Amelia studied it too. The heart has valves that open and close in alternation so the blood enters and then is sent through the body when the heart contracts. Right?"

"Indeed. Those valves are called ventricles and what you described is a heart pulse. Now, with someone suffering from tachycardia, those pulses are too fast. The heart doesn't have time to fill with blood and sends too little to the rest of the body. Problem is, the heart needs blood as much as any organs to work since blood is used by our body to carry oxygen and nutriments. Because it doesn't stay long enough in the heart and too little is pumped at the time, it doesn't receive nearly as much as it needs to properly feed the body. This leads in most cases to short breath due to the need of oxygen, paleness as blood is focused on the organs rather than the skin, fast exhaustion due to a lack of nutriments and oxygen and an overall weaker body for all the reasons mentioned above."

"Weaker body …" Angel frowned. "Explains why he's so small."

David looked at the boy.

"I daresay he's a Stage II. His condition isn't lethal as long as he's kept well-fed and doesn't work too much. However, given his adrenaline rate, my guess is that he'll be a bundle of nerves in full-shape, only to exhaust and crash after a while."

"In other words." Gipsy summed. "He'll eat, become hyperactive, burn everything he swallowed and collapse until he's fed again."

"Close enough."

Coyote finally opened his eyes and groaned.

"My stomach feels empty."

"This can be arranged. It will be a good occasion to introduce you to the others. Can you call them, Angel?"

"On it already." The archer was holding his phone.

Coyote looked at the two, his senses clear now.

"Who are you? I don't remember meeting you before."

"You did." Angel answered. "Just not in this form. Can you walk?"

"Yes."

"Good. Come with us, we'll fill your belly and you'll meet the others."

They gathered at the Western Dragon around midday. Horizon, having been warned of the boy's problem, had prepared a real feast. And indeed, Coyote jumped on the dishes and ate them all clean under the dumbstruck eyes of both Romeo and Angel.

"Big eater, that one! He ate for at least three persons!"

Coyote licked his fingers from the chicken wings' spicy sauce.

"Delicious. What's for dessert?"

"You still have room!?"

"Yes."

His choice was the biggest ice cream of the menu. Romeo looked disgusted.

"I could make three meals with what he ate and I'm the biggest of the group. What does he have for a stomach? A dark hole or a blast furnace?"

The mayor came and sat at their side.

"To what I heard, I daresay it's a blast furnace. Have you introduced yourselves yet?"

"Nope, and that would be nice." Coyote dug in the cream and turned to Angel. "You said we met before but not in that shape. What did you mean back then? And why am I human when I was created a Jaeger?"

Gipsy looked down.

"That's our biggest mystery so far. No one knows why we Jaegers were returned as humans. The people in Sunset Beach believe it to be a miracle of God. After that, some believe we returned because Earth and mankind still need us – and do they ever with the turn things have taken – while others think we were given a second chance, the opportunity to exist not just as war machines but as humans, to make our own choices, have a normal life where we don't have to fight Kaijus all the time, have a job, a family … Angel does, and Ronin and I have children we raise alone."

"So … all of you are Jaegers too?"

"Except me." The mayor smiled. "I am a regular human in charge of watching over this small city."

Romeo started.

"I am Romeo Blue, Mark I Jaeger and head of the local police force."

"Tacit Ronin." Ronin quietly said. "Romeo's sworn brother and teacher at the local elementary school."

"Horizon Brave." The Jaeger chef grinned as he served the boy his second ice cream cup. "We fought together at Lima. Now I hold the Western Dragon. I'm the local chef."

"Well, congratulation." Coyote licked his spoon. "Best meal I've ever eaten, even in my pilots' memories."

Gipsy smiled at the boy.

"Gipsy Danger. Local mechanist and …"

"The fiercest fighter of Sunset Beach." Angel completed. "Seriously, we may have a chance against her in Jaeger form but in human form, there is no one, human or Jaeger, who can hope of getting the drop on her. Ever. Human or Kaiju, she has the highest kill count of us five."

Coyote turned to him.

"And you are?"

"Angel Storm. Mark IV, police officer and the husband of this lovely woman beside me."

Amelia had taken a seat by her husband's side and was listening to the conversation, Leo in her arms. Coyote's eyes narrowed.

"Angel Storm? I remember you …"

Before anyone could react, the boy had jumped and punched the Jaeger in the face. Amelia instantly jumped on him, only for both Romeo and Horizon to hold her.

"Amelia, no! Step down!"

"He hit my husband! I will kill him!"

"No, you won't!"

Coyote gulped at the sight.

"What's with her?"

"We Jaegers are mercilessly protective toward our family." Ronin explained. "Gipsy and I went on a rampage when our children were kidnapped and Angel snarls at anything he perceives as a threat to Amelia or Leo."

"Amelia may be a regular human, but she lives by our side." Gipsy frowned. "Furthermore, she is Angel's pilot. Their bond runs deep enough that she and Angel share a latent Drift bond that is always active. It's only normal that she inherited some of our traits such as our protectiveness. "

Romeo turned to the boy.

"So, for your own safety, never threaten our families. We won't kill you, but we'll make you wish we did."

Angel rose and massaged his black eye.

"I guess that was for abandoning you and Brave at Lima. Sorry. Cobracàn had just killed Gabriel and I was scared for Amelia."

Coyote glared at him but said nothing. Instead, he returned to his seat and kept eating his ice cream. The mayor nodded.

"Now the introductions are done, I believe it's time I did my own work. You see, every one of your brethren have a "civilian" identity he uses in human form. I am here to give you yours."

Coyote frowned, understanding the man's reasoning.

"I guess we can't go around telling people we're Jaeger-shifters, right?"

"Yes. First, let's give you a name …"

It took an hour to set everything Coyote needed to start a human life. Now called Adrian Wolfe, the boy would be living with Horizon Brave and help him at the Western Dragon. His condition made it hard for him to have a real job given he was hyperactive a moment and sleepy the next. Horizon didn't care.

"My business is flourishing enough that I can support him without him having to work. And I can keep him fed enough that he doesn't have to fear health issues. He's best with me."

Since they didn't need her, Gipsy left to the surveillance office, or "Watchtower" as people called it. At five, she went to get her children and froze when she saw Cassidy in a fight with another kid. She ran to separate the two.

"Cassidy Becket, what's the meaning of this!?"

Elisa was a little away, looking at the scene with tears in her eyes. Cassidy turned to his mother.

"He called Elisa a crybaby!"

"Yeah!" The boy smirked. "Because that's all she's good for. Crybaby ~ crybaby ~ crybaby Becket!"

Gipsy's hand flew on its own, slapping the bully hard on the cheek.

"Never _ever_ insult my children in front of me, brat! Now, I'm taking you to the director so you can explain your stupid behavior. Cassidy, Elisa, you're coming too."

Taking the bully by his jacket, she dragged him to the man's office and put both boys in chairs.

"Now you two explain why you were fighting. Right now."

The director looked at the two and sighed.

"Gary Mitchum. I should've guessed. It isn't the first time I hear reports about your actions, but it is the first time I see a parent drag you there. It seems you picked the wrong target, this time." Turning to Gipsy, he sighed. "What was it?"

Cassidy growled.

"He called my sister a crybaby."

"Yeah. So what? She's always crying anyway!"

Gipsy raised a brow.

"Elisa doesn't cry that much at home, or at least without a good reason."

The little girl sobbed.

"I don't like crying at home. Mommy will think it isn't safe here."

"Why would I?"

Cassidy sighed.

"The Trespasser Massacre. Elisa still has nightmares about it and sometimes gets flashbacks."

Gipsy winced. She should have expected the event would leave sequels. That the head priest had specifically targeted her daughter as a hostage was not helping. She knelt at her side and smiled.

"Elisa, if you don't tell me you have a problem, I won't be able to solve it. Next time you feel bad, tell me. That's what parents are for."

"Alright, Mommy."

Gary snorted. Cassidy looked at him.

"You have a problem?"

"Yeah. Your sis and your mom are sickening."

The boy jumped from his chair and gave the bully a dark glare.

"Deal with it. Mom is a Jaeger. Every Jaeger is caring toward his family in case you haven't noticed. Now look at me and tell me: _what is your problem?_"

Gipsy silently watched the boy, analyzing his behavior.

"It's your family, right? Liz and I have a mom that cares for us and makes sure we've got someone when we don't feel good. You? I bet you don't. I bet you don't even have a brother or a sister, so you're targeting my sis instead. Asshole."

"Shut up!"

Gary tried to punch the boy, only for Cassidy to dodge, grab his wrist and twist, earning a yelp.

"I watched Mom and Uncle Casanova train. It taught me a few things."

"Step down, Little One. I'll handle the rest."

The red-haired boy obeyed and returned to his seat. Gipsy looked at the bully.

"So you have problems related to your family. I know you're young but, even then, there are counselors to help you. Why didn't you go and see them? I think this school has one."

Gary looked aside.

"And then what? My mom's a bitch and my dad's a bum. They don't give shit about me. I could set the school ablaze and all they'd say is 'Meh, gimme a beer.' So yeah, I'm jealous. Because you've got such a super tough mom who's ready to mow cultists by the dozen and I might as well have no parents at all." The kid smirked. "Well, maybe that's why I'm strong too. You? You can't pack a punch and your sister's always crying!"

"This isn't strength."

Gary turned to Gipsy, a scowl on his face. The woman stood tall before him, her face stern yet kind in a strange way. And the boy shrunk in his chair.

"You aren't strong if you're alone. I know it. I am a Jaeger. It takes two persons to move us, not one. Cassidy may lack your bulk and raw strength, but he's fast and clever, and he has someone to stand by his side." Her eyes fell on Elisa who smiled. "And I wouldn't be nearly so dangerous if I didn't have to watch over these two. Yes, I am naturally strong as a Jaeger, but these two are the reason my anger can be so frightening. You? You may be tough but you have nothing, no one to stand for. You are all alone."

The boy growled and turned away in anger. Gipsy had hit a sore point. Cassidy looked at the boy, then his mother. His next gesture surprised the director and made Gary do a double take.

"He doesn't have to."

Gary looked at the open hand, shocked that the kid he'd previously fought was willing to forgive him. Cassidy smiled.

"Mom's right, you're stronger when there are people with you that you can trust. I feel sorry that you have sucky parents. My Pa and Ma died during Bladedge's attack on Seattle, no long after they found Mom on the road. Mom hadn't adopted us yet, and she still fought Bladedge back to protect us. From then on, she was always here for us even though she wasn't even human to start with. But to Liz and I, it was enough. We're very lucky to have her. And, if you want, you can spend time with us. Between me, Sis, Hinata, Leo and now Coyote, we're a big weird brotherhood."

Gary looked at the boy, stunned.

"Re-really? I can? Spend time with you, I mean?"

"Yeah. No one deserves to have lame parents like yours. Would you like cool friends instead?"

A smile slowly grew on Gary's face.

"... Thank you."

Gipsy nodded as the two boys shook hands. Even though she wasn't exactly human, she had still managed to raise two children alone and was proud of the results, at least for Cassidy. Elisa would require more work. But still, she was happy enough that, on their way back, she bought both kids ice cream.

"They are _what!?_"

All six Jaegers looked at Matthew, speechless. The mayor's brother sighed.

"They are closing the Los Angeles Shatterdome. Mammoth Apostle will be relocated in Anchorage and Hurricane Star in Panama. They plan to use part of the place to build the coastal wall."

Romeo nearly fell off his chair while Gipsy looked rightfully appalled. Their friends didn't look better.

"My doubts about the UN insanity are gone." Coyote mumbled. "Closing Los Angeles means surrendering the entire North American and top of the Central American coast to the Kaijus. At least, when they closed the Nagasaki Shatterdome, they still had Tokyo and Vladivostok to provide cover. On our side, we only have Anchorage, Panama and Lima."

"That's because of the coastal wall." Matthew sighed. "They are building it by Los Angeles and Seattle, and they have started building it around Australia too. Word is they plan on isolating the whole country, New Zealand be damned."

"Not just New Zealand." Angel paled. "The Pacific Ocean holds a lot of smaller islands and archipelagos that are also their own countries. Those countries have suffered a lot from Kaiju attacks already, and now we're shunning them! I just … No way. Just no way. How they can do that is beyond me."

"It's beyond all of us." Horizon sighed.

"What about the personal?" Gipsy suddenly asked. "Each Shatterdome requires a lot of people to be operational. It is much bigger than any regular military base. What will those working there become? Or even Marshal Stanley?"

"Most will be sent to the other Shatterdomes, but I think a number of them will indeed be dismissed. As for Marshal Stanley, either he'll be sent to a high military post or he will plain out quit."

Ronin was deep in thoughts. At times, he would look at his fingers and count, then go back to being thoughtful.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Romeo asked.

The Japanese Jaeger looked at him.

"I was wondering if it was possible to salvage some of the materials from the Los Angeles Shatterdome and build our own."

The five Jaegers gasped at the thoughts.

"Are you serious!?" Coyote asked. "A Shatterdome, here? I know we're not exactly a small town but we're not a big city either!"

Indeed, though it had barely two thousand inhabitants by the time Gipsy, Romeo and Ronin settled, Sunset Beach had recently crossed the nine thousands and was expecting an increase up to fifteen thousand inhabitants by the end of the year.

"Actually …" Gipsy frowned. "That's not that bad an idea. It will give us a genuine headquarter rather than use the Western Dragon or the common room of this building. With the equipment from Los Angeles, we could outfit the Watchtower to keep an eye on any movement on the Breach and be prepared when the Kaiju arrives. Also, a launch bay of sorts to gather and deploy would be nice."

Romeo started to smile.

"It would have to be close to Oblivion Bay so we can keep an eye on it while watching over the Breach. Also, it will need a hospital for those of us who return, or even for us, period. Our bodies are different from that of humans. David had been taking care of us so far. Maybe he could be in charge since he knows us the best."

"Yeah." Angel grinned. "And besides, it won't have to be that big since, as shifters, we only have to gather when a Kaiju attacks and spend the rest of our time minding our business, rather than having to stay in our hangar all the time like when we were fully robotic. Just without the hangars, it will be a lot smaller than regular Shatterdomes. And I don't talk about the handiwork _not_ required to maintain us since we'll be human most of the time!"

Matthew's eyes gleamed. An idea was forming in all six Jaegers' minds and he liked where it was heading. He wrote their suggestions and brought them to his brother the next day. The evening, the mayor called them to discuss. The six Jaegers and Amelia sat around the circular table in the meeting room and looked at the elder man, who was going through files.

"Matthew brought me your suggestions about having a Shatterdome built in Sunset Beach. I was reviewing the files he gave me. I have to admit … the idea is interesting."

Coyote made a small 'Yes!' gesture. And yet, the mayor looked concerned.

"However, we've got a lot of angles to consider, starting with the most important: the budget."

"I thought about it." Horizon answered, to everyone's surprise. "The Western Dragon is doing better than I expected. The profits I make should cover a good percentage of the construction cost. As for the construction itself, one of my most regular customers is Lloyd O'Connell, the CEO of Connell's Construction & Repairs."

The mayor nodded. The company Horizon mentioned was one of the most important in Sunset Beach. The Jaeger smiled.

"As a fellow CEO, I talked with him several times. He _doesn't_ like the coastal wall, at all. Thinks it's a waste of resources and we better invest in a way to tear the Breach open and nuke the Kaijus right in their home turf. If I ask him to take care of the project, I'm sure he'll offer us his best prices. Also …" A sly grin crossed his face. "The people of Sunset Beach are partial to us Jaegers. You organize a fund raising among them and I'm curious to see how much they're willing to pinch to have their own Shatterdome."

The mayor had to admit he had never considered the idea.

"Very well. Since you seem to have your opinion on the topic, mind if I put you in charge of handling the budget of this project?"

"Bring it. In human form, I'm good at math and in Jaeger form, my processor is as good as any computer."

"Then we got a deal."

"You'll have to organize the fund raising yourself, though."

"Consider it done. Now, the next topic will be to set the plans for our new Shatterdome. If Horizon manages to convince Mr. O'Connell, we need something serious to present him."

"We'll base the Shatterdome around the Watchtower." Romeo instantly answered. "And expend from there. The Watchtower is located at five miles at best from Oblivion Bay due to its role as a surveillance center for both Sunset Beach and the scrap yard. We could expend it into a complete LOCCENT using the materials we'll recover from the Los Angeles Shatterdome. Also, we need a hospital, a launch bay, a command center to gather …"

"A training room would be nice." Gipsy thought. "Every Shatterdome has a Kwoon training room so the rangers can keep their skills sharp. Living quarters won't be needed since we already have our homes and don't need rangers to pilot us, and maintenance bays and suiting rooms are unnecessary too. In fact, anything related to Jaeger and ranger maintenance is useless since we usually live as humans. Same goes for J-Tech and K-Science labs."

"Actually, I still think we need a J-Tech center." Angel frowned. "I know we recover any wound or damage whenever we shift between human and Jaeger, but I feel safer knowing some people can repair me or even give me a little upgrade once in awhile. We'll also need storage rooms."

The mayor nodded, brows furrowed.

"Personally, I was thinking about recovering some of the materials used for the neural bridge. Angel, you said you share a Drift bond with Amelia, right?"

Amelia nodded.

"Every ranger shares a latent neural link with his partner. We call it Ghost Drift but I prefer calling it Drift bond. Angel and I are Jaeger and pilot. Since he's sentient, our bond runs as deep as any Drift partners. No, it runs much deeper. Before, we just felt each other in the back of our head. After we conceived Leo …" The girl blushed at the memory. "It became more intense. Sometimes, it edges into full-blown telepathy and at the 'lowest setting', we can still feel each other's emotions."

The mayor nodded.

"You Jaegers are closely related to Drifting. With the equipment I plan to recover, we will have the tools to keep this phenomenon in check and further our understanding of it. Besides … I admit Drifting has always intrigued me. To share his mind with someone on such a level must be quite an experience …"

"It is." Amelia confirmed. "And it is also very difficult. The Drift unites two minds on a level where no secret is being kept. Every thought and emotion, everything is shared between partners. And that's where the main problem resides … A problem I never really managed to solve: to share so much with someone else, someone who isn't you, you have to trust this person. When I entered the Academy, I didn't trust anyone. It almost cost me the second cut."

The mayor nodded, understanding.

"If you insist on having Drift equipment …" Angel thought. "It should be kept close to the hospital. The Watchtower should remain at the center of the building, with the launch bay oriented toward the sea. The command center should be at the back, but still close to the Watchtower …"

It took them an hour and a half to set up the basic layout of the Shatterdome but, when they left, the files just needed to be handed to Mr. O'Connell. Romeo's mind wandered back to the conversation as a song passed on the radio.

_One thing, I don't know why  
>It doesn't even matter how hard you try<br>Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme  
>To remind myself how<br>I tried so hard  
>In spite of the way you were mocking me<br>Acting like I was part of your property  
>Remembering all the times you fought with me<br>I'm surprised it got so (far)  
>Things aren't the way they were before<br>You wouldn't even recognize me anymore  
>Not that you knew me back then<br>But it all comes back to me  
>In the end<em>

_You kept everything inside_  
><em>And even though I tried, it all fell apart<em>  
><em>What it meant to me will eventually be<em>  
><em>A memory of a time when ...<em>

_I tried so hard_  
><em>And got so far<em>  
><em>But in the end<em>  
><em>It doesn't even matter<em>  
><em>I had to fall<em>  
><em>To lose it all<em>  
><em>But in the end<em>  
><em>It doesn't even matter …<em>

"In the End", by Linkin Park. Angel had insisted they had a J-Tech sector if one of them wanted repairs or upgrades. It reminded him of a conversation with Horizon Brave. The Chinese Jaeger had adequacy issues, feeling that his mechanical body wasn't good enough to fight the Category 3 and 4 Kaijus that were emerging from the Breach. And Ramjammer had done nothing to prove him wrong …

_I've put my trust in you  
>Pushed as far as I can go<br>For all this  
>There's only one thing you should know<br>I've put my trust in you  
>Pushed as far as I can go<br>For all this  
>There's only one thing you should know…<em>

In the end, Romeo decided Brave had a point. The two of them needed a good makeover if they wanted to keep killing Kaijus efficiently. Coyote too, given his core was deficient, and even Ronin could use a better armor and some new servos. Maybe they could use Angel's schematics given the archer was designed after a fencer. Well, first thing first, they needed a Shatterdome. Then they could think about upgrading themselves.

* * *

><p><strong>And here is the next chapter! Yes, Coyote is back. Wait till Pentecost hears about it ... and sees what his Jaeger looks like. Biggest as a Jaeger, smallest as a human, and with a nasty temper at that! That apart, how was the chapter?<strong>

**- Tigerboltsniper: request granted. And you're right, the song does fit.**

**Well, see you soon!**


	9. Odds do not matter

**Odds do not matter**

"So it's true, Mom. We're gonna have a Shatterdome?"

Cassidy was sitting on his bed, the music of his abandoned video game still playing in the background.

"It is, Little One." Gipsy smiled. "Brave showed the plans to Mr. O'Connell. He, Romeo and the mayor took a week to perfect them. The construction already started."

Elisa giggled in her lap.

"The mayor's face when he saw how much the raising had brought was priceless! I thought his eyes would jump from their orbits!"

"Hey, that's gross! But you're right, everyone pinched in money. Even you and I."

"Mommy's a Jaeger. Besides, everyone in Sunset Beach really wants to have a Shatterdome. I'm really happy the people help Mom, Uncle Romeo, Angel and Amelia and Uncle Ronin, Horizon and Coyote. When you know what people think about us …"

Gipsy looked down. People didn't see the Jaegers and their pilots as the mighty heroes they used to be. Now, their opinion was … divided at best. Many believed they really had a chance, but more and more put their hopes in the coastal wall. The people of Sunset Beach knew better, and it showed not just in the 275 000 $ brought by the fun raising, but also by the number of volunteers who offered their services in building the Shatterdome or operating the place, the kindness they showed toward the robot shifters and their families and their open-voiced support toward the PPDC. The construction of the Jaegers' headquarter had started by the beginning of March. When deciding who should be its Marshall, Gipsy and the gang had turned to the mayor who had quickly pushed the idea back.

"I already have Sunset Beach to handle. Besides, I am well into my sixties and more responsibility is the last thing I desire. No, if you want a Marshall, I suggest you take my brother. He and David know you best and David already agreed to be in charge of the Shatterdome's hospital."

"Why do you want a Marshall anyway?" Matthew wondered. "It's not like we're part of the PPDC anyway."

"It has a nice ring to it." Romeo grinned. "Besides, how else would you call it?"

So Matthew was to become the new leader of the Shatterdome. That he was related to the group in a way felt reassuring. He also had a point: the group did _not_ belong to the PPDC. They didn't care, nor did they care they didn't even have a name.

"Why would you need one?" Elisa asked when she and Cassidy overheard the conversation in the common room. "It's a Sunset Beach thing. It's not one of those big, weird groups that belong to a lot of countries and there's a weird hierarchy and a lot of people are involved. Here, it's just Mommy, Uncles, the mayor, Matthew and the people of Sunset Beach."

"Truth comes from the mouth of children." Matthew grinned. "Looking back at it, she's right. It isn't just a specific group of people that's involved. It's an initiative from the city of Sunset Beach. And it should remain so, which means I will have to answer to my dear brother despite being the head of the Shatterdome."

"So …" Angel summarized. "The mayor on top, then you as the Marshall, then we as Jaeger, at least when we're in mechanical form. In human form, it all depends what our job is."

"Exactly. I suppose, since you're always hanging around in the Watchtower when you're not patrolling, you're going to want a spot in LOCCENT."

"Indeed. Save me a seat by the monitors. And please, can we keep calling it the Watchtower? After all, I'm an archer …"

And not just in Jaeger form. Due to his bond with Amelia, the Mark. IV had picked several of his pilot's skills. Before everything went to hell, back when Jaegers were the titans guarding humanity and their pilots were worldwide heroes, Amelia was a poor student who was said was only good at two things: archery and free-running. As she drifted with Angel and drove him, she passed those two skills to him, which led to the Jaeger being surprisingly acrobatic and an adept marksman. The archery part was obvious in the titan-sized bow the two had made from scraps. The free-running part was much harder to notice, at least until Angel gained the ability to shift. Now the two could always be found either in the Watchtower or on some rooftop, bow in hand. Their shtick? Having one monitor the other via the cameras while using their Drift bond to communicate. Who was where was a fifty-fifty affair.

"I guess I'll need a spot in there too, then." Amelia smiled. "When I was a student, my parents always berated me for only being good at archery and free-running. When I took control of Angel, Jaeger-driving was added to the list and parenting was added after Leo was born. Can we add police cop to the list?"

"There's a lot more things on that list than you believe." Romeo smiled. "I remember when you reunited with your parents after becoming Jaeger pilot. I think it was after Armadur. Your father wanted to force you back home. You took him down in two blows and then hid behind Herc. When your mother started yelling at you, he, Raleigh, Yancy, Bruce and Trevin glared at her and threatened to jail them because you were a PPDC officer now. They were _not_ pleased."

Amelia looked away.

"A girl who's been hurt and put down so much will never believe your own compliments."

"I know." Angel whispered. "I hate your parents for having brought you to that level. Listen, none of it matters anymore. You have a job as policewoman in Sunset Beach, you have a husband that loves you and a child that is unique in the world and we know will become someone great, and you have the most powerful and reliable friends in the world. In fact, we're more sibling than friends so that's a big family you netted yourself when we went together. So smile, okay? Little Leo hates to see his Mummy cry."

Amelia sighed and shook her head. The next second, Angel found himself in a fierce kiss. Gipsy noticed Romeo looking at her with an almost begging face. She pushed him away with a finger.

"Not in your dreams, Casanova."

"Way to give me ideas … Did I tell you you're gorgeous?"

"I know. Why do you think I always wear shapeless pants and grey sweaters?"

"Wasted." Horizon sighed. "Totally wasted."

"I've seen the way people look at me when I dress nicely. I don't like it. My caster keeps crackling in my hand because I never know if one of them is gonna jump on me and I end up doing something I'm going to _really_ regret. So sorry, but I never asked to have the body of a pin-up!"

"Feel you here." Coyote sighed. "I never asked to have the body of a twelve year old. I'm forced to keep an ID card on me saying I'm nineteen because, otherwise, old ladies ask me if I want a walk home! And don't get me started when I want a beer."

Romeo looked at the two. Like Ronin, Gipsy was perfectly fine as a single parent. Angel and Amelia were married with a son, Coyote and Horizon were living together and Romeo was still single. Not that he was unpopular, far from it. He just couldn't seem to settle in a stable relationship and was going from partner to partner like a modern-day Casanova. That he had a skyscraper-sized crush on Gipsy didn't help.

By the middle of the month, the group was surprised to see a new Jaeger awaken. Having been with his pilots at the Sydney Shatterdome, Amelia recognized him instantly: Epsilon Black, a New Zealander Mark III piloted by Jonas Norton and Nanaia Riunui, famously called the "Tribal Jaeger" due to the fact that Nanaia was Maori and Jonas had earned a place in her tribe by becoming her co-pilot, effectively becoming Maori by adoption. From what she could see through the cameras, the Jaeger had a noticeably tribal appearance but spotted pale skin and light brown hairs while Maori people had black hairs and their skin was tanned. Mixed blood? Given his pilots were a chief's daughter and a white anthropologist, it wasn't that much of a stretch. She called Romeo and the two brought the Jaeger to the hospital. Upon examination, David noticed a wave-like tattoo on each side of his jaw and the emblem of the Riunui family on his forehead.

"He earned his nickname." Amelia grinned. "I remember Nanaia telling me how Maori men have their whole face tattooed. It told who they were, kinda like a skin-engraved ID card. Women only had their chin tattooed."

"Did Jonas have them too?" Romeo asked. "He was adopted but still …"

"He only had the most important ones: his lineage on the forehead, his profession as a ranger on the cheeks and his prowess on the chin. He was totally for having his whole face covered but the PR put their veto on the decision, saying people would find it disturbing. They only accepted he had the others because they look cool."

"Jonas? Nanaia?"

The group turned to the Jaeger who was slowly waking up.

"Feeling better now, Epsilon?" Gipsy smiled.

The Jaeger turned to her and raised a brow.

"Who are you?"

The group looked at one another. Presentations were in order, as well as some explanations.

"We are like you, Jaegers who gained the ability to take on a human form. The only exception is Amelia, who is Angel's pilot."

Epsilon's eyes lit up in understanding. A sad frown covered his face, followed by a mutter in Maori.

"_Aroha o te wairua_ … They were right, in the end."

"Mind explaining?" Romeo asked.

Epsilon turned to him.

"A belief among Maori. When two people love one another deeply but cannot marry or are forced to remain apart, their souls give birth to a being that is beyond human, a creature, most often a spirit, that represents the love these two people share. _Aroha o te wairua_ means Love of the souls. Jonas and Nanaia believed the love they shared would give birth to one such being. The Drift heavily supported this theory … and now, here I am. I am _mea hanga i whanau i te aroha_, a creature born from love."

"That's a nice belief." Angel smiled.

Epsilon grinned.

"Which reminds me … _Kia ora, e toku teina_. Hello, my brothers."

Even though he was a bit scary with his tattoos and tribal appearance, Epsilon turned to be as nice as Romeo, and the colossal Jaeger was said to have a heart of gold.

"The Maori called me _Kaitiaki Pango_, the Black Protector. Nanaia was fierce, but Jonas was really gentle. I remember through his memories the reaction of his family when they heard he'd joined the Jaeger program. His younger brother didn't believe a guy who wouldn't hurt a fly would sign up to punch off otherworldly horrors. I guess he's the reason I'm so nice. A child takes after his parents, after all. And a Protector isn't always a killer. There are ways to stop people without killing them."

"I didn't take you for a pacifist." Ronin quipped.

"I am not. I will kill if I have to, but I far prefer helping others and prevent threats before they become too great. That's where being intimidating has its good sides."

He was sad to learn about the turn the war had taken but happy to hear about the Shatterdome in-building.

"We are Jaegers." Gipsy said with steel in her voice. "We are warriors hunting the monsters that threaten mankind. We will stand, again and again, even when the UN strikes us in the back and undermines our efforts."

"They stab us in the back and then turn theirs on us when we call for help." Coyote growled. "I _really_ want to return the favor and make their stupid decisions backfire to their faces. Would serve them right."

"Make that two …" Ronin nodded. "This said, we have the mayor and Sunset Beach supporting us despite their decision, and this right under their nose. I mean, we are building a _Shatterdome_ and not even the PPDC knows it. Yet. And it seems every one of us who falls will awaken sooner or later. First Gipsy, then Angel, Romeo and I … Neither the UN nor the PPDC could have seen it coming. They aren't accounting for us because we do not exist to them. An unknown variant they are completely unaware of. Our moves can easily throw a wrench in their plans as long as they don't figure out who, or what, we are."

"And besides …" Romeo grinned. "Our greatest strength lies in our bonds. We are almost like family, siblings watching over one another, and Sunset Beach is the friend that supports us through the trials we face. Together, we are invincible. The bonds between our pilots gave us life. The bonds between us will keep alive the hope they sowed across the world."

Both he and Ronin were proven right near the end of the month. A Kaiju emerged from the Breach and headed for Seattle, only to suddenly shift south, lose itself at sea and reappear on the Californian coasts. It was heading for Tijuana and its path went through Oblivion Bay. The Jaegers didn't miss it.

"It's a Category IV." Amelia frowned as she checked the readings of the Watchtower's new instruments. "K-Watch called it Rattlescale. It is one of the fastest recorded and looks rather crocodilian. Main strengths: its jaws, fore-claws and whip-like tail. Its back is made of interlocking scales, but its stomach is apparently soft. And it has a big mouth."

All seven Jaegers looked at one another.

"Guys, you know the drill."

Ever since Romeo and Horizon's rather disastrous experience with Ramjammer, the group had worked to coordinate their attacks and work as a fully-functional team. Everyone had his role and knew it, so when the Kaiju reached the Jaeger graveyard, they were ready. Epsilon had quickly found his place despite being there for a little less than two weeks. He stood unflinching when Rattlescale emerged from the water, a living mountain before the Jaeger in human form. Instead of cowering, Epsilon shifted to his mechanical form and took his stance, his horn blaring in the air.

_E wiri, e toku hoariri!  
>I mua i a koutou,<br>E tu ahau roroa,  
>E kore wehi, Ko ahau rite!<br>__Haere me te whawhai!  
>Ahau e tatari ahau!<em>

Tremble, my enemy! Before you, I stand tall, not afraid, I am ready! Come and fight! I am waiting! The Jaeger's feet shook the earth as they hammered the ground and the air vibrated when he slammed his fists together. Gipsy and the others watched Epsilon perform his dance. The haka, combined with the Jaeger's threatening voice, was genuinely intimidating. The Kaiju roared in defiance and rushed at his opponent. Epsilon was the most armored of the group, which made him a perfect tank. And his hand could turn into a Gatling gun, which was perfect for a lead-filled sucker punch. Said punch was swallowed by Rattlescale's massive jaws, only to shift from fist to gun right inside the mouth and open fire. The Kaiju reeled back in pain, coughing and sputtering.

"Now!"

Gipsy, Coyote, Romeo and Angel shifted to Jaeger form at Epsilon's side and opened fire with their own weapons. Angel's arrows struck the throat and locked themselves between the dorsal scales, Romeo's Gatlings opened dozens of wounds on the upper torso, Coyote's mortar rounds struck the head and Gipsy's plasma blasts scorched the scales and opened a deep gash in the monster's side. Rattlescale roared and lunged a paw forward, only for Horizon to come out of nowhere, seize it and freeze it with a close-range cryo-burst. The tail lashed out of the water. It never reached its target, Ronin suddenly shifting and slicing it in mid-move.

"Melee now!" Gipsy ordered.

Forced on its back, the Kaiju was pummeled to death by seven pairs of angry fists. Finally, Romeo used his piston-powered punch to snap its neck, ending the beast once and for all.

"And … done. Jaegers, this is Watchtower. Kaiju signature: gone!"

The seven Jaegers looked at one another. Coyote chirped.

"I feel so good right now!"

The Jaegers were loudly congratulated by the town. Their best reward, though, was Amelia kissing Angel on the lips, Hinata tackling Ronin in a hug and Cassidy and Elisa taking Gipsy in a victory dance.

"Bogey didn't stand a chance." David grinned. "That was one ferocious beatdown you gave it."

"And an impressive display of teamwork." The mayor smiled. "I do not recall seeing other Jaeger teams combining their efforts like you did."

"Because we're not stupid." Horizon answered. "Ramjammer and even our previous defeats proved it: to go alone against a Kaiju has become suicidal, especially for the earlier models like Romeo, Ronin and I. We want to win, we've got to do as Gipsy does and show those invaders no mercy. Nowadays, a fair fight with a Kaiju means outnumbering it, outgunning it and going for the weak points. Skills and weaponry alone won't take down a Kaiju. Tactical thinking, resourcefulness and teamwork will."

"If the odds aren't in your favor, lower your morality standards or hightail it and come back with friends. " Gipsy coldly stated. "Do both when you feel it's overkill day."

Cassidy and Elisa broke into giggles.

In a hospital somewhere in Alaska, the man regained consciousness. First, it was his fingers, then the feeling crept through his arms and slowly but surely hit his head, causing his eyes to open. He was in a soft bed in a white room, warm under his blanket and a reporter was speaking from the TV station.

"_One week ago, K-Watch spotted a Category IV Kaiju heading for the ruins of Seattle. The Kaiju unexpectedly turned south and disappeared, only to reappear north of Oakland and the Jaeger graveyard of Oblivion Bay, where its signature disappeared in a few hours. At first believing they had lost its tracks, Mammoth Apostle's Strike Troops finally found its battered remains fifty miles south of Oblivion Bay. This is the third Kaiju that gets mysteriously eliminated by a Jaeger of unknown origins. Pentecost sent a message across every Shatterdome but, like Bladedge and Ramjammer before, no one knows who is that Ghost Jaeger that keeps killing Kaijus before vanishing without a trace._"

Jaeger … Kaiju … Slowly, his memories remained. And with it came panic, a fear born from his last memory before passing out. A woman entered.

"Awake at last, I see! You sure took your time to wake up!"

"Where am I?"

"Hawthorne Falls, a small city inland. You don't look that bad for someone who nearly embraced death."

He groaned. His back felt painful and his left leg felt stiff.

"What happened to me? My last memory …"

"They saved you. The fishermen you protected from that Kaiju. Once the fight was over, they returned and used their tools to fish you back, then sailed to the nearest harbor they could find. The storm pushed them so they reached it much faster than expected. It saved your life."

"My back hurts …"

The woman sighed.

"You fell from a Jaeger! You're lucky the fall alone didn't kill you. It severely weakened your spine, though, so we had to strengthen it with carbon fiber. Your leg … You don't want to know the state it was in, trust me. Even with reeducation, you're going to limp for awhile."

He looked down.

"How long will it take?"

"Six good months, at least. You're not asking how long you were asleep?"

"I kinda forgot. So?"

The woman looked at him, a bit worried.

"One year, two months."

His throat felt suddenly _very_ dry.

June came, and with it a new casualty that shook Epsilon to the core. The Jaeger was Tango Tasmania, piloted by Lucy and Carol, the Nolan twins. The two sisters fell defending Wellingon, the capital city of New Zealand. Vulcan Specter stole the kill right from under Eureka's nose, to Gipsy's pleasure. She just couldn't stand the Jaeger and its younger pilot, Chuck Hansen. What hurt Epsilon the most was that New Zealand was being isolated from Australia by the wall, and the PPDC had taken its time before the launching order came. In fact, Lucy and Carol had outright disobeyed and rushed to the country against direct orders to remain on standby. It had cost them their lives, their Jaeger barely holding out until Vulcan Specter and Striker Eureka were sent as backup in a hurry, at which point the Kaiju had torn the Jaeger's core, killing the sisters in the process. Epsilon couldn't stand it.

"New Zealand is my country. Nanaia comes from it. Her _iwi_ lives there and Jonas loved it a lot. It was the New Zealander government that funded my construction. I have to go. The UN and the PPDC may have shut their eyes over that country but mine are wide open, and they see oh-so-clearly the threat it is now exposed to." He looked at the group, regret in his eyes. "It was nice, living at your side. But my land lays defenseless and I am the Black Protector. I have to go. Tango Tasmania died protecting Wellington and I don't want her sacrifice to be in vain."

Gipsy nodded.

"We understand. We were all pretty pissed when we heard about the UN's decision to keep New Zealand out of the wall. Go. Do what you must. And … don't forget to keep in touch."

Romeo stepped toward the tattooed Jaeger.

"Feel free to call us if you think you may need help. From the Watchtower, we can easily spy movement over the Breach. If a Kaiju heads toward your place, we'll know it before you. So …"

"I know. I gladly accept your offer. We'll keep in touch."

He boarded the first plane to Auckland and, from there, hitched a ride to the lands of the Riunui tribe. It was located north-east of the northern island, in the Gisborne district. Maori society was divided into three levels: the iwi (tribe), the hapū (clan) and the whānau (extended family). The Riunuis were the whānau Nanaia belonged to and that Jonas later joined. The hapū they belonged to was Kāi Korero. Finally, the iwi was Ngāti Porou. That Epsilon only had the mark of the Riunui family on his forehead somewhat intrigued the Jaeger.

The road was familiar to him. His pilots knew it by heart. Finally, he reached the _pā_, the village of the Riunuis and asked a guard.

"_Kia ora_. I am looking for the memorial dedicated to the pilots of Epsilon Black. Where can I find it?"

"Are you one of those stupid tourists?" The guard growled.

"No. I am … a close friend of theirs."

He tapped the symbol on his forehead. The guard was surprised and was about to hit him when he pointed the marks on his jaw. The man instantly lowered his hand.

"Born where the tides die … Who do you say you were, already?"

"A close friend of Jonas and Nanaia. I want to … I have to see their memorial."

"This way, then."

The guard led him to a black stone engraved with white that was set on the edge of a cliff. The picture of both pilots and Epsilon was hanging on a frame and words were etched in the stone in English and Maori.

_In honor of Jonas Norton and Nanaia Riunui, pilots of Epsilon Black. Killed by the Kaiju Atticon while defending Seoul. 2017-2020. RIP, the PPDC and the people of Seoul._

_This memorial is a gift to the Riunui family, whom both pilots belonged to. You have our condolences._

Epsilon knelt before the place in silence, quietly reminiscing about his pilots and thanking them for giving him life. He was born of their souls. Caught in his thoughts, he didn't immediately notice the tall and stout man that came from his back.

"Aroha o te wairua."

The Jaeger swiftly turned, a hand balled into a fist. The man smiled.

"Do not fear, Kaitiaki Pango. This place is your home, just like it was my daughter's … and Jonas's too. You look like you could be their child."

"I was born of the love of their souls, Chief Waitango. You yourself said it." His face darkened. "I came back as soon as I heard Tango Tasmania fell protecting Wellington. My brothers all agree: the UN is mad to forsake New Zealand and the other countries of the Pacific in favor of Australia. But I am the Black Protector, the Tribal Jaeger. The PPDC may choose to give up on you but I won't, and neither will the others. I promised to remain in contact with them. Romeo Blue even gave me a small radio to make it easy. When the Kaiju will rise, so will I … and I won't be alone."

Waitango smiled in pleasure.

"Those are great news. So other Jaegers have returned as you did."

"Yes. Gipsy Danger, the first of us to fall, was also the first to awaken. Then came Angel Storm, Tacit Ronin, Romeo Blue, Horizon Brave and Coyote Tango. I am the last to have awakened … so far. Chances are all of those who fell will eventually return." His face brightened up. "They settled in Sunset Beach, near the Jaeger graveyard. The people of this city are very supportive of us, enough that we're all working together to build a new Shatterdome. They gathered equipment and materials from the Los Angeles Shatterdome. Now, they have a home base from which they can operate without the UN or PPDC meddling with our business."

"Those are excellent news. And you say they are ready to interfere shall a Kaiju threaten our country?"

"We are brothers. We stand side by side, no matter the time or place."

The Chief grinned hugely.

"Pity the man who discards his friends without seeing their real worth. No one will come crying on his grave. The UN may have cast us out, but if your brothers are willing to stick in for us, then it is only fair we support them in return. Come. I will introduce you to the Riunuis. Then you will call your independent Shatterdome and tell them our _whānau_ will stand by their side."

Romeo was really happy when Epsilon called him.

"I didn't expect your pilots' tribe would be so eager to help us. Well, new allies are good news, no matter who they are. And it opens us the option of setting a secondary base on the other side of the Pacific. Strategically, it's perfect. The only thing that bothers me is that your entire family knows we're shapeshifting Jaegers."

"Chief Waitango reassured me: this information will be kept tightly within the whānau. He even called the priests to put a _tapū_ on it, and taboos among the tribes of the Pacific Ocean are sacred prohibitions that no one will dare to break unless supernatural retribution befalls them."

"So our nature is kept under the seal of secret. Good to know. That apart, what kind of people are they?"

"Fierce. The Riunuis are warriors. It was Nanaia who suggested she became a Jaeger pilot in order to represent the tribes of the Pacific. Her father berated himself for not coming with the idea first! That apart, they are close-knit and support each other through thick and thin, kinda like us. Strength and endurance are the main values of the tribe they belong to. They have to, though. With the Kaijus around, if you don't have a Jaeger handy, it's run or die and the Riunuis prefer death to running away."

"Charming. Gipsy would get along with them perfectly."

Epsilon laughed.

"Chief Waitango said he wanted to open negotiations to create ties between Sunset Beach and his people. Do you think the mayor will agree?"

"We'll find out soon enough. I hope he says yes, though. We all have something to gain from it."

* * *

><p><strong>So the construction of the Sunset Beach begins and the group gains not one but two unexpected allies. And a certain character shows up. Now, how was the chapter? "Aroha o te wairua" is a belief I made up about Maori society, but all the rest is true. I did research to get it as right as possible.<strong>

**And, of course, you can guess what Pentecost got as an answer for his "Who sent a Jaeger without telling!?" mail. Unknown unknown. No one knows the group exists and they are a hair-puller for the Marshall. And the worse is yet to come ... *cough* _Gipsy + Breach + Kaiju_ *cough***

**Now, for the reviews ...**

**- TigerBoltSniper: yeah, wait until Pentecost finds the truth about the "Ghost Jaegers" ... and sees just how well they are organized. Resistance? Been here, done that. And before you guys!**

**- : obviousness? Yeah, I have to admit it isn't my best-written work ... Thanks still. To answer your questions: Gipsy will find love. In who is spoiler. I did several Jaegers on the designer (Delta Asura, Omega Ryu and Angel Storm) but the designer is limited in options so the others aren't. Sequel? I don't know yet. Probably not, unless a potential sequel or the TV (animated?) series actually gets to be produced.**

**One last thing: I started making a chapter about Jaeger pilots, but I will only post it if you're okay with it (I'll post it as omake). Who's in?**

**See you soon!**


End file.
